Friday 31 Jan 2025
Here's our gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday:
Luke 2:22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel."
And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother 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."
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
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In the Episcopal Church, the Song of Simeon has been sung as a canticle, especially in Evening Prayer. And in my growing up years I heard it nearly every Sunday at the close of worship in St Andrew's Episcopal Church: sung by our choir, with, as I have said here before, John Pennell singing the tenor line. It was always beautiful and moving.
Another hymn I remember the choir closing with throughout World War 2 was
"O God of Love, O King of Peace, Make wars throughout the world to cease. The wrath of sinful man restrain, Give peace, O Lord, give peace again"
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Childhood memories. Most of mine are related to church or school or working at the fish house, or family events at home and at my St Andrews and Pensacola grandparents' house. Speaking of - - the Christmas I got roller skates in Pensacola, where there was a sidewalk all the way around the block; the skates were of no use on Massalina Drive as there was never a sidewalk on our side of Massalina Bayou. And the Christmas in Pensacola that I got a bike, which I rode up Hamilton Avenue to Cove School for the next few years; there was a bicycle rack out back close to Linda Avenue, at first I didn't lock my bike, but later did with a chain and padlock.
Where am I going with this? Nowhere, just rambling. Bill Bailey loved my bike and I loved his, and he pressed me to trade, and I wanted to trade but would not because my bike was a Christmas gift from my Gentry grandparents.
A few years later, seventh or eighth grade, they gave me a Schwinn bike for Christmas, one of those with the built in streamlined headlight and a locking key like a car's ignition key.
Maybe my first bike was then a hand me down to Walt, IDK.
Skating or biking in Pensacola, we had to stay on the sidewalk, on our block, and never even think of riding out on Cervantes.
Massalina Drive and Hamilton Avenue were dirt roads and not always easy riding with a bicycle, you had to get off and push through some places.
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What's happening? Not going there, the political scene is depressing, why slide down into Dismal City USA, nomesane?
So anyway, the gospel.
Epiphany Season I always look for a deliberate epiphany, and it's Luke's story of Simeon's song and Anna's proclamation about the infant Jesus. The story also fits Luke's agenda in which he ties Jesus to Jerusalem and the Temple from beginning to end, to Luke, a prophet's home is Jerusalem. In that regard, another story that's unique to Luke is bringing Jesus back to Jerusalem and the Temple when he's twelve years old.
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When I was twelve years old I was a grungy, clueless boy. Best example I know is that in all the Cove School class pictures, only I am wearing something strange, a strange shirt, maybe a striped sweatshirt when everyone was told to wear a white shirt for the photograph. Constantly totally oblivious, I never heard any of that and certainly never got home with the message.
Here I am, though, coming up on ninety years of age, looking back and ahead happily. Early predawn, magic mug of my club coffee hot & black, and an egg salad sandwich on Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread. An egg salad sandwich always brings to mind Mama telling about Kahn's Delicatessen in Pensacola. During the depression, after high school, Mama went to a business school in Pensacola to learn shorthand, bookkeeping, &c, and she frequently went to Kahn's nearby. For a nickel or a dime you could get a baked bean sandwich, a coleslaw sandwich, a mashed potato sandwich or potato salad sandwich. Upgrade a nickel to fifteen cents and you could get a chicken salad sandwich, or chicken, or roast beef, pastrami.
Mama used to tell me stories about Professor Workman, who was principal of Pensacola High School in her days there. Mama did something once and the principal suspended her. Her mother, my grandmother Gentry, whom we called Mamoo, went storming into Professor Workman's office about it. He said, "She's suspended." Mamoo said, "NO SHE ISN'T" sent Mama back to class, and that was the end of it.
Life is fun and good.
RSF&PTL
T89&c