Candlemass

Two thousand years ago, I wonder what it was like for Jesus as he came to terms with who he really was.

One Christmas, I was caught completely by surprise when I was given an envelope, in which contained the details of someone who would research some of my family history – my ancestors for me. Anyone who has ever watched the television series, ‘Who do you think you are?’ will understand the curiosity that a person has in discovering details of long dead ancestors and their stories. I once watched the episode during which the EastEnders actor, Danny Dyer discovered that amazingly, he was descended from William the Conqueror! It was the stuff we dream of. Someone of a very different status and significance.

It made me think about how important it is that we know who we are. For some this comes as a shocking revelation, as the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, found when it transpired that the person he thought was his biological father, Gavin Welby, was in fact his stepfather in April 2016. His mother had had a ‘liaison,’ with Sir Winston Churchill’s last private secretary, Sir Anthony Montague Brown, shortly before her marriage.

Two thousand years ago, I wonder what it was like for Jesus as he came to terms with who he really was. When did he learn of the scandal that surrounded his birth, or of the strange visitors who sought him and delivered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? Of the meeting with the elderly couple, Simeon and Anna, in the Temple in Jerusalem who had waited all their lives, believing that God would not let them die until they laid their eyes on the Messiah, (Luke 2:22-24). A Messiah who arrived not as a great Lord, but as a baby. We cannot know when he first knew, but what we do know is that after 30 years, he began his ministry, healing the sick, bringing sight to the blind and proclaiming the wonderful news of God’s Kingdom. He never shied away from the purpose he was born and in so doing paid the ultimate price, before his wonderful resurrection on the first Easter Sunday.

On February 2nd, we remember that meeting of the elderly couple with this special baby as we celebrate Candlemas, a Christian festival, which also commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, Jesus’ mother, forty days after his birth in accordance with Jewish law. Traditionally, candles were taken to church and were blessed as people were reminded that the ‘Light of the world’ had come.

In a sense, it doesn’t really matter to me who my ancient ancestors might be, because I know who I am because of Jesus Christ. ‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of the darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Revd Susan