Luke 2:22-40 Panzer Liturgical Service
It’s the Sunday after Christmas, and in some ways, it’s back to the ordinary. Most of us haven’t taken our trees down yet, the Christmas lights are still on the house and there is Christmas food still in the refrigerator waiting to be eaten. But the wrapping paper is put away, and the boxes that hold the decorations are waiting to be repacked. The anticipation of the season has diminished, leaving us with a feeling that hard to describe.
It’s hard for us to separate our celebration of Christmas as a religious holiday from our observance of all of the secular festivities that ring in the New Year. For many of us, our holiday from work is not yet complete. Only after January 1st do we feel the necessity to get back in the swing of things. Only after one more opportunity to overindulge do we feel the obligation to make and keep (for at least one day or week) our New Year’s resolutions, as realistic or dreamlike as they may be.
But just for a minute, let’s try to think of what it might have been like in the days immediately following Jesus’ birth. The long trip to Bethlehem… the unexpected labor and birth… the visit of shepherds and angels. In the days following the baby’s birth, what activity would surround Joseph and Mary’s life?
According to Jewish law, on the eighth day after the birth, the parents and the baby would go to the temple. The couple would offer a sacrifice in thanksgiving for the birth of the child. The mother would go through a rite of purification by the priest so that she could return to her wifely and community duties. And the child would be circumcised, and as a first-born son, his life would be dedicated to the Lord’s service and honor.
And those are the things that
Mary and Joseph did. Their dedication to the Law of Moses and to the Jewish
life led them to the Temple in Jerusalem to complete the required ritual. And
when they got to where they were going, there were two unexpected visitors. First
came Simeon... described by scripture as a righteous man, who had been told by
the Lord that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. As Mary and
Joseph entered with the child, Simeon took the child into his arms and sang the
following song:
"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" (Luke 2:29-32).
And he after blessing the child, he brought a message, a warning to Mary: "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:34-35). And then came Anna, seen as a prophet by the worshiping community as a prophet, who when she saw the child praised God for sending the one who would redeem God’s people.
It was an extraordinary day. In the midst of the expected… in the process of performing the expected ritual, a blessing was received and a piece of the future uncovered. The dedication of our two prophets is obvious as Luke describes them… Simeon is a righteous and devout man… Anna is a widow who fasted and prayed at the Temple every day. Who would have expected that in the midst of going through the motions so much would be revealed? And by two such as Anna and Simeon. They are not the prophets we expect, but they have an important message that still strikes home today.
Today, I have drawn closely from my Methodist heritage in preparing this service and sermon. John Wesley, born in 1703, never set out to form a new denomination. Wesley himself had grown up in a church family, the youngest of fifteen children. Rescued from a parsonage fire at the age of five, his family regarded his miraculous recovery as a sign of God’s blessing. Wesley later used the phrase, "a brand plucked out of the fire", quoting Zechariah 3:2, to describe the incident to others. This story became a part of the Wesley legend and was often used to give substance to his extraordinary work and special calling.
After a personal conversion in 1738, years after his ordination as an Anglican priest, Wesley’s focus on ministry changed from parish focused to community focused, preaching and starting ministries to help Anglican clergy and laity focus more closely on their baptismal vows. First hosting a “Holy Club” at Oxford University when he was a student, and then Methodist Societies in Anglican communities throughout England, Wesley called for people to renew their covenant relationship with God and with others. Today, these Covenant Discipleship groups are a place where members practice practical discipleship together… reading the bible, discuss of the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith, and participate in the acts of mercy or outreach and mutual accountability.[i]
John Wesley’s understanding of faith in this particular way appeals to many, not just those in the Methodist traditions. His Covenant Service is one that has been celebrated by many other Christian congregations. The theology of this service was not Wesley’s own invention. In 1663 (40 years before Wesley’s birth), Richard Alleine, a Puritan, published “A Vindication of Godliness in the Greater Strictness and Spirituality of It.” In 1753, this work was again published in John Wesley's A Christian Library. Wesley adapted one chapter in Allen’s work, "The Application of the Whole," into a worship service, and on Monday, August 11, 1755, he used this liturgy in what probably was the first celebration of the Covenant Service in the Methodist movement.
Wesley found the service rich and meaningful, as expressed in his Journal: "Many mourned before God, and many were comforted" (April 1756); "It was, as usual, a time of remarkable blessing" (October 1765); "It was an occasion for a variety of spiritual experiences ... I do not know that ever we had a greater blessing. Afterward many desired to return thanks, either for a sense of pardon, for full salvation, or for a fresh manifestation of His graces, healing all their backslidings" (January 1, 1775). In beginning, Wesley used this service when a congregation was in the need of a new start or special boost. Eventually, these services were held in most Methodist societies, usually on New Year's Day. Even so, the service was so identifiable with John Wesley that it was conducted whenever he visited the Methodist Societies throughout England.
The heart of the service, focused on the Covenant Prayer, asks persons to commit or recommit themselves to God. This prayer asks us to take seriously the covenant that we have made with God and with each other during our lives. Whether we study at home or in a group, whether it’s a bible study or learning more about the doctrines and history of the church, Wesley reminds us that we need to take seriously our original commitment to be in service to God and one another.
Today, Wesley’s Covenant Service is often held on New Year's Eve or Day and therefore is sometimes called a Watch Night Service. Historically, a Watch Night Service would be three hours or longer, including readings from Scripture and hymn singing… that’s certainly one way to ring in the new year! As we use the Wesley Covenant Prayer today mirrors the themes of today’s readings. In the Isaiah reading, we hear the prophet proclaim, “I will not keep silent…” In the Galatians reading, we are reminded that we are the children of God, adopted into God’s family with the same status and responsibilities as Jesus, naturally born of Mary… and we are even more – we are heirs – inheritors of all the gifts that God has promised.
And our two New Testament prophets have confirmed without hesitation that God’s promises to them are made real as they hold the child in their arms – He is the good news that they had been waiting for all of their lives. Declaring the same message to those gathered, Simeon and Anna profess the faithfulness of God for allowing them to see for themselves the fulfillment of God’s promise for themselves.
Today, we will include Wesley’s covenant prayer in our worship. This prayer gives us an opportunity, as we begin a new year, to rededicate our lives to the Lord. It is a reminder that becoming a person of faith is a process, through hard-attained work, through trial and error, learning from our mistakes and the experiences of others. Becoming a person of faith is a matter of asking for forgiveness and then believing in and accepting that forgiveness and going on with the business of living faithful lives. It is a lifelong process, and it’s a good and joyful thing to come together regularly to recommit ourselves to that promise.
As we join together in praying
a small portion of Wesley’s covenant service, hear these directions as they
come from John Wesley on how to live out our dedication to God each day, as I
paraphrase them from his own writings.
2. Be serious and in a spirit of holy awe and reverence.
3. Claim God’s covenant. Rely on God’s promise to give your grace and strength, so that you can keep your promise – do not trust you own strength alone, because it will not be enough.
4. Resolve to be faithful. You have given to the Lord your hearts, you have opened your mouths to the Lord, and you have dedicated yourself to God. With God's power, never go back.
5. And last, be prepared to renew your covenant with the Lord regularly. Fall down on your knees, lift your hands toward heaven, and open your hearts to the Lord.[ii]
I come from a tradition that doesn’t always talk so much about being saved as it does about renewing our commitment to love and serve Christ every day. It’s sometimes a confusing conversation with others who are not used to this language. A friend once remarked, “I feel like I’ve been saved six or seven times.” My response to her, “My friend, you’re a life-long Methodist, you just keep renewing your baptismal covenant as many times as you feel the need – there’s no limit on how many times we can recommit our lives to Christ.
Please join me in the Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition found in your bulletin. And if this prayer has been meaningful to you today, keep your bulletin, sign and date it, and keep it as a reminder of your covenant renewal today.
Peace, Deb
(c) Deb Luther Teagan December 2020
[i] UMC
Discipleship – Covenant Discipleship Groups
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/covenant-discipleship-groups-an-introduction
[ii] UMC
Discipleship – Instructions for the Covenant Service
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/covenant-renewal-service
