Turning from the crib to the cross

Here's my article for the February magazine:

For many people the Christmas celebrations last until you have to go back to work or school. For some Twelfth Night (6th January), which marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas, is the end of Christmas and the time to put the Christmas decorations away for another year. I always find this a bit sad as in the church calendar the wise men don't arrive until 6th January, which is also called Epiphany, so the crib scene is put away before they've had a chance to get there! In the church year however the season of Christmas lasts until 2nd February (so if you've still got decorations up don't worry!)

This feast is variously known as 'The Purification of the Virgin Mary', 'The Presentation of Christ in the Temple' or 'Candlemas' and comes forty days after Christmas. According to the Jewish law, forty days after the birth of a male child the mother was to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to be ritually 'purified' by offering a sacrifice. This event in Mary's life is recorded in Luke 2:22-40 and we know from this that Mary was poor as she was unable to afford a lamb but instead brought two pigeons for the sacrifice. At the same time the baby Jesus, as Mary's first-born son, was 'presented' at the Temple.

So far, so normal. But while they were there two extraordinary events occurred. Firstly, an old man named Simeon came up to the family, took Jesus in his arms and praised God for him (his song is now known as the 'Nunc Dimittis'). And secondly an elderly prophetess named Anna also gave thanks for Jesus. The reason they reacted as they did was because they recognised that Jesus was no ordinary baby. We are told that the Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that “he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (verse 26) and that Anna “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (v38), in other words they recognised that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

Simeon also recognised that Jesus wasn't just good news for the Jewish people, but that he was a light that would reveal God's message to the other nations too. As a reminder of the proclamation of Jesus as the Light of the World, this day also became a day when, in pre-electricity days, the candles for use in the church that year were blessed and people would also bring their domestic candles to be blessed. So it became the festival day (or 'mass') of the candles – Candlemas.

The Presentation also marks the shift in our focus from the crib to the cross. The Messiah whose birth we celebrate will be a Light to the World revealing God's message not just by his teaching and his miracles, but chiefly by his death and resurrection. The Presentation reminds us that you can't truly celebrate Christmas without believing in Easter.