Simeon and Anna welcome Mary, Joseph and Jesus to
the Temple. They have been waiting for this moment. What kind of Messiah were
they expecting? Simeon welcomes this family who must have seemed ‘ordinary’ and
poor. He can see that this child will be ‘a
light…for the glory of your people’. Already there is a note of reversal;
of boundaries being stretched. Mary is told that this child ‘is destined for the fall and the rising of
many’. There will be trouble ahead; there will be challenges for many.
Simeon knows that many thoughts will be exposed, what people really think will
be revealed, who they welcome and who they exclude will be challenged; for
God’s invitation and welcome has no boundaries. This will be uncomfortable for
some.
Anna rejoices for all those who were looking for a change, for hope, she
knows that this child will overturn systems of oppression and exclusion. Luke is interested in how humanity responds to the
Gospel. If Jesus’ message is really good news, then this requires a shakeup; a
shakeup which challenges comfortable assumptions about the way God works. God’s
abundant invitation to all may not sit comfortably with many. While Anna prays
and fasts for a change of heart in the way Jerusalem operates, Simeon warns
Mary that this will not be an easy road.
What situations in our own society and
in our church require a shake-up, an uncomfortable but necessary change so that
God’s love and welcome can shine through?
