Today is the feast of The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, often known by the Church as Candlemas. The story of Christ being presented in the Temple can be found in Luke 2:22-40. In days of yore Christians used to bless a year’s supply of candles at Candlemas, which is, I imagine, where the name comes from.
Candlemas marks the end of the Christmas season, and the beginning of the build-up to Good Friday and Easter. Many Churches will be dismantling their Christmas cribs in the next day or so, and storing the figures away for another year. I always feel a little sad to see the crib go; but it would soon lose its appeal if left up all year.
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The phrase, “make your home among us”, I chose from today’s Additional Collect, was chosen because of the hope it offers us. The hope for a better world. I’m sure the world would be a better place if everyone lived as though Jesus had made his home among us; especially if they also believed that he was God with us in human form. Now I know you and I probably believe those to be so, but there are millions around the world who don’t.
The hope is a world without war, … without crime, … without poverty, … without suffering: a world where peace and joy abound, … where the light of our Lord Jesus Christ reigns supreme: a world where we are made pure and holy.
An impossible dream? Maybe. Maybe if it were to ever happen we Christians would be too busy arguing the detail for the utopia to last. But there’s no harm in dreaming, in hoping, for that perfect world. Is there?
Lord Jesus Christ,
light of the nations and glory of Israel:
make your home among us,
and present us pure and holy
to your heavenly Father,
your God, and our God. Amen.Additional Collect for The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council
About Paul Sibley
Andrew Gosden (now 18) has been missing from his Doncaster home since 14 September 2007. The search continues.
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Dreaming is good and I use it to visuliase my path ahead. Paul, your blog is looking extra super professional!
Very kind of you to say so Steve, thank you.
Dreaming is a good way of visualizing where you want to go in life, and in helping to set goals that’ll encourage you on the path. And if it works for us at a personal level, then surely it can work for us at a corporate level too.