A Sermon Shared With St. Matthew’s, St. Paul, February 5, 2012

The Feast of the Presentation and the Baptism of Carly May Wiens Heinsohn

Malachi 3:1-4, Hebrews 2:14-18, Luke 2:22-40

Blair Pogue

Carly May Wiens Heinsohn gets it. Last Sunday, as she got ready to come to church for a baptism class, she asked her parents if she should wear a swimsuit. Carly, I wish we had a huge font so you could truly experience the power of being immersed in God’s love and grace. Today I need you to use your imagination. Pretend you are at the most amazing pool you can imagine, full of festive slides, flotation devices with animals on them and fun toys to dive for. And then imagine that you summon up your courage and get in the water for the first time. Later you take a deep breath and put your head under the water. Pretty soon you are doing handstands at the bottom of the pool and diving for colored rings and doing something akin to synchronized dancing dancing with your friends. Then you decide to take an even bigger leap of faith and you tell your parents you want to float on your back. At first they hold you in the water and then eventually they remove their hands and you . . . sink. Disappointed but determined you decide to try again, and this time when your mom or dad’s hands disappear you decide to let go and let God – you decide to stop trying so hard and to just trust that something bigger than yourself will hold you up. And voila, you float! This is what dedicating your life to God is like, trying new things, taking risks, being open to new possibilities, and learning to trust that God will hold you and help you stay afloat no matter what life brings.

When I arrived at my last church in Vienna, Virginia, there was a woman who attended the Wednesday morning Eucharist each week. She was in her early 50s, and she always wore a scarf. I soon learned that her name was Claude, and that she had a brain tumor. Claude had two wonderful daughters, one in high school and one in elementary school, and she was doing everything possible to try to live. She underwent all the regular therapies and then some experimental ones too. Over a year after I had been at that church it became clear that none of the treatments she had tried were going to work. She began to face the fact that she would die soon and to prepare for it. She started writing letters for her daughters and getting her house and belongings in order. About the time Claude faced this difficult reality I became pregnant with Luke. Claude was so excited. She brought me a gift for him, and about a week before his delivery I received an email from her asking if I could let her know when he was born, because the thought of his birth was giving her great hope.

When I hear today’s Gospel from Luke I think of Claude. Specifically, I think of the hope of new life she shared with Simeon and Anna. In our Gospel Jesus’ parents are dedicating him to God. As faithful Jews they had Jesus circumcised when he was eight days old, and then later presented him in the Temple. Faithful Jews were required to dedicate their firstborn son to God. In our Gospel we see two faithful elders who had waited in hope despite their struggles and disappointments, and the struggles and disappointments of their people. Simeon, who is described as filled with the Holy Spirit and Anna who is portrayed as a devout woman dedicated to prayer and fasting, are both waiting in hope in a world of suffering. Simeon is waiting for God to comfort Israel. Anna is a part of a group of people waiting for God to redeem Israel. Neither of them has given up, despite a lifetime of waiting. They know that God keeps God’s promises, even if God’s timeline is not ours.

Imagine how Simeon felt when he saw Jesus and realized that God’s promise of a messiah was being fulfilled right in front of his eyes. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” As Mary and Joseph stood there, amazed just like Mary was amazed in the manger, Simeon predicted that Jesus would cause many in Israel to fall and many to rise, that the inner thoughts of many would be revealed, and that Jesus’ parents would suffer as much as Israel. Anna then stepped forward and began to praise God and speak about Jesus to all who were hungering for the redemption of Israel. Think about all the Annas and Simeons God has put in your life over the years and take a moment to give thanks for them.

Jesus, like every child, is a gift, and bears gifts that may be used to bless God’s world. Jesus was given to bring salvation not only to the Jews, but to all people. The glory Jesus revealed was different from the kind of glory many people in his day expected. It was not a glory borne of military triumph, but a glory borne of toil and suffering for the sake of love. Jesus’ death led to his resurrection and the further fulfillment of God’s promises, but we shouldn’t gloss over the difficult path to resurrection and new life.

Entering the household of God through baptism like Carly is doing today doesn’t mean that life will be easy. It doesn’t mean that she or others she loves won’t experience suffering and setbacks. It does mean that today she officially enters an intergenerational community of faith that will pray for and support her come what may. It also means that this community, her parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, godparents, sponsor and the people of St. Matthew’s will continue to dedicate themselves to helping Carly become the person God created her to be. God created Carly, like all of us, to bless the world in some specific way through the gifts she has been given. Today, she will receive God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will always be with Carly and will give her strength, courage and encouragement along the way.

So Carly, take a swim. This is a bath like no other. See all of us, young and old, surrounding you and praising God with you and at times for you. You will be washed clean today in baptismal water. Nothing can take that away from you. May you know the grace and buoyancy of God’s love. Amen.