Today we celebrate faith.
- The faith of Mary and Joseph to the Law and Jewish tradition by traveling to Jerusalem to present their first born son in the Temple; consecrating him to the Lord.
- The faith of Simeon - who lived in hope in the promise of the Holy Spirit that he would see the Christ of God before he passed 0n.
- The faith of Anna - who kept true to her vows and holy life of prayer and fasting: blessed by God’s revelation to her of His promise to bring salvation to His people through the child, Jesus.
In these persons, Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna we have wonderful
models of faith – faith in God and in the traditions of Judaism and obedience
to the Law. In them we see faith to the
church and its teachings and traditions – faith in the word of God – faith in
the revealed truth of God and faith in God’s fulfilment of His promises.
Mary and Joseph are faithful servants of the Lord. Obedient to God’s truth through the Law of
Moses. In consecrating their first born
son to the Lord they continue the traditions of their faith: traditions that
were passed down to them from generation to generation. In keeping true to the tenants of faith they
help keep God’s covenant alive in their hearts and in His people.
Simeon and Anna, each holds onto their faith in the Lord and
His promise of salvation. They do not
question how long it will be, but live patiently, in faith and hope. Each lives under the Law; obedient servants preparing
themselves for the fulfillment of God’s promise and waiting in quiet
expectation for the Messiah. They do not
know when He will come, but know that what God has promised, - will be.
Simeon encounters the Spirit of God who brings him the
message that he will see God’s promise of a Messiah. To Anna is revealed by God the uniqueness of
the child Jesus. Both proclaim the
wonder of God to bring Light into the world.
Their faithfulness is our foundation in remaining true to God
and his promise of salvation for his people.
We live by faith and expectation awaiting the return of Jesus so He may
bring all God’s children into the peace of the Kingdom of Heaven. By his sacrifice we have gained, through
grace, God’s promise of eternal life because we are His beloved.
In our faith we stand on the faith of past generations who
waited patiently in hopeful anticipation of the Lord’s return and the
fulfillment of God’s promise. We
learned, through the example of those who saw and believed before us, the
stories and traditions passed down from the Apostles.
Today we continue telling those same stories to all we meet
in the world; spreading the Truth of the Gospel, keeping faith in God’s promise.
It is our faith that keeps the Light of
Christ burning brightly in our hearts for the world to see; living as disciples
of Jesus – being Christ to all and seeing Christ in all. Our discipleship in Christ, living as Jesus
taught us is how we keep alive our faith in God’s promise. Our faith makes us strong; giving us courage
to wait patiently for its fulfillment.
Our faith is not a dry dusty, time-worn tradition. We are not faithful keepers of artefacts in a
museum of-what-was. Our faith is a faith
of the future – the faith of what-will-be.
Our faith is a faith of joy, a faith alive with expectation for the
coming glory of God’s promise of the kingdom of heaven. We believe in the Resurrection: the
conquering of sin and death and life everlasting!
In our faith, we live as Christ taught us – loving one
another: anticipating our entry into God’s kingdom of peace and justice. Ours is
a faith of the future. We are a people looking
forward, with great and joyful expectation to the coming of the Lord. We are a people seeing beyond the horizons of
this world; living in faith that of the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation
and Eternal Life.
Our faith today is as strong as the faith of the Apostles built
upon the foundations of faith. Our
belief in Jesus, His Resurrection and God’s promise of salvation is a
continuing story passed on to us, not to keep within, but to share with the
whole world. We owe the strength of our
faith to those who have gone before us: the faithfulness of each generation in
keeping the Light of Christ burning brightly in our hearts.
It is the faithfulness of all the disciples who have gone
before us; living in the hope of the Resurrection who have kept the lamps of
faith lit, patiently waiting for the Lord to come. As they did, we too, in our faith, keep Christ’s
Light burning brightly in our hearts and sharing that Light with the whole
world for today and forever. ~Amen
Peace,
Deacon Don Ron
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