“They Presented the Child to the Lord”
Luke 2: 22-40
Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, January 26, 2025
The Temple in Jerusalem was bustling with activity that day. People brought sheep and goats to be sacrificed. Priests hurried to and fro, attending to their duties. The outer courtyard was filled with the bleating of lambs and the cooing of turtledoves – the sacrifice of the poor, who could not afford a sheep or goat.
Amidst all this noise and confusion, no one would have noticed one more poor couple entering the temple grounds, carrying a small baby. Somehow they made their way through the crowds, and bought two turtledoves, the least expensive they could find. Finally they came to the place where the doves would be sacrificed, in the religious rite known as purification.
According to the Law of Moses, a woman was considered unclean after childbirth. That meant she could not attend worship and that people who touched her would also be rendered unclean. If she bore a male child, the infant would be circumcised at 8 days old, then at 40 days, the mother would offer a sacrifice – either a lamb or two young pigeons or turtledoves – and the priest would declare that her time of uncleanness was over. Then she could resume her usual activities.
As the priest finished the sacrifice and was pronouncing the final blessing, an elderly man approached them. He asked if he might hold the child. Unsure what to do, but trusting that he meant no harm, the woman handed him the baby. The old man raised his eyes to heaven praying, “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 peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Of course, as you might have guessed, the couple were Mary and Joseph and the baby was the infant Jesus. The venerable elder was Simeon, who had been waiting and praying his whole life for the arrival of the Messiah. He had some words of prophecy to share with them, that many would oppose the work of this child and that sorrow would pierce Mary’s heart.
As they were puzzling over this strange incident and these disturbing words, an elderly woman, Anna, also approached them. She was known as a holy prophetess who prayed and fasted, never leaving the temple. She began to praise God and to prophesy that this child would bring redemption to Jerusalem. Thus, two witnesses confirmed that Jesus was no ordinary child. Two was the number of witnesses required by Jewish law to testify in court. Here in the Temple, two respected elders recognized who Jesus was and testified to it. They declared that the Son of God had appeared in the Temple, and that he had been sent not just to Israel, but to all nations.
The Bible does not tell us what happened afterwards, whether Mary and Joseph stopped to talk further with these venerable saints, or if they left in stunned silence. Luke concludes, “When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, [they returned home]…The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.
Many things could be said about this passage, but today I want to point out that Joseph and Mary did what the Law of Moses required. Even though they did not have much money, they did not use that as an excuse. No family members accompanied them – they were alone in a big city, but they still did what was right. They presented their child to God, as the scriptures commanded.
Last year, as you may recall, Delvis and Emmanuela brought little Kaylan to be presented here at the church. Today they bring him for Christian baptism. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, baptism identifies a child as a part of the church. The parents and sponsors make promises to help that child grow in their faith and understand what it means to be a Christian. At the proper time, the child will accept Christ for themselves, but until that time, they will be nurtured by their family and the church as they learn to pray, to know the stories of the Bible, to serve others in love, and to believe in the Triune God.
Baptism shows us that God loves us even when we are too young to do anything to earn God’s favor.
Baptism reminds us of God’s loving forgiveness in Jesus Christ, even before the child is old enough to know right from wrong. Just as the infant Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him,” we pray today that little Kaylan will also grow and become strong, filled with wisdom and God’s favor. Just as Mary and Joseph would have taught Jesus about his faith, recited scripture to him and took him to the synagogue for worship, we trust that Delvis and Emmanuela will do the same for Baby Kaylan.
Some people say that they do not want to teach their child about religion. They want their child to decide for themselves when they get older whether or not to believe in God. We don’t do a child a favor by not educating them about our faith. If they reject our beliefs when they are older, that is their decision; but if we do not teach them about our beliefs as they are growing up, we are already deciding for them – we are telling them that faith is not important.
Joe and I watched a movie this past week, Between the Temples, a kind of cute Jewish Rom-Com. One of the characters was a retired music teacher who wanted to finally celebrate her Bat-Mitzvah in her 60’s. This ceremony is usually done when a child reaches the age of 13, and is comparable to confirmation in the church. As the movie continues, we discover that her father was an atheist who banned religion in his home. When she married, her husband did not encourage her Jewish faith either. Finally, as a widow, the desire to know more about God and her religion grew, and she joined a class of teen-agers preparing for their Bat-mitzvah and Bar-mitzvahs. It is sad to think of all she missed growing up and as an adult, being deprived of her spiritual heritage. Spirituality is an essential part of our make-up as human beings. Children naturally want to know about God. Let’s take every opportunity we can to teach them.
Jesus loved children. We know that from the scriptures. He healed a young boy of epilepsy and raised Jairus’ young daughter from the dead. He welcomed little children, to bless them, when his disciples would have sent them away,
saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Luke 18:16). In Luke 9 he says, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the least among all of you is the greatest” (Luke 9:48). I think if Jesus visited our church today, the first place he would go would be the Sunday School class – and he might just stay there, enjoying some time with the children. It’s important to make our church services welcoming for children and young people. Jesus would want us to do that.
Jesus also taught that it is a serious sin to harm a child or lead them astray. As he taught his disciples in Luke 17.2: “It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Here at the beginning of the 21st century, there are still many threats to children’s well-being. I checked several websites, such as World Vision, Save the Children, and UNICEF, to find out what they consider to be the most serious problems for children worldwide. They listed global hunger and malnutrition, children living in conflict zones, often forced to become refugees due to war. They all mentioned the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, flooding, wildfires and droughts. Other threats include human trafficking, early marriage, and child labor – unfortunately even here in the U.S. In our country children also worry about gun violence. Recently firearms even surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death in children ages 1 – 17. Mental health problems are also on the rise, with bullying and social media often blamed. Risks to LGBTQ children are greater than average. I recently heard some church members who work with children say that kids are afraid to come to school for fear of immigration authorities. Children don’t need more things to worry about. What is our responsibility in light of Jesus’ words, “Let the children come to me; Whoever welcomes a child in my name welcomes me”?
The Good News is that Jesus loves all of us, but especially little children; we are all invited to receive the Kingdom of God as a little child – full of faith and wonder.
The baptism of little Kaylan this morning reminds of this truth: “It is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Amen.
©Deborah Troester, 2025