Depending on your church tradition you may or may not know what Candlemas is. I'd certainly never heard of it until last week when I was asked to take a school assembly tomorrow - on the theme of Candlemas. It was a case of asking Google, consulting Wikipedia and messaging some of my Anglican friends via Facebook. How did we survive before the internet?
Candlemas is the celebration of the baby Jesus being presented in the temple - a story that we read about in Luke 2:22-38. I'd always linked this account with the previous verse - Jesus' circumcision that took place when Jesus was eight days old. But a proper reading of this text and a knowledge of the purification regulations - which, if you're following the Read Scripture plan you would have read this morning, from Leviticus 12 - show that these events take place 40 days after Jesus' birth. Once the church began celebrating Jesus' birth on 25 December, the events of Luke 2 are then celebrated on 2 February.
This is a story that reminds us of God's faithfulness - Simeon had been waiting for the fulfilment of God's promise to him, and now that God has fulfilled his promise Simeon is ready to die in peace.
Simeon also declares that Jesus is the 'light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel'.
This theme of Jesus as the light is one that runs throughout Scripture - and this will probably be the focus of my assembly tomorrow. Torches show us the way in the dark; night lights provide comfort and assurance in the dark; birthday candles provide joy at a time of celebration; warning lights highlight danger ahead. All of these reveal different aspects of who Jesus is. He is the one who shows us the way. At those times of sadness and darkness in our lives he provides comfort. He is the one who can give us deep joy. But he is also the one who warns us of what is to come.
I guess the candles come in with this theme of light - and Candlemas was the service where all the candles that were going to be used in the church throughout the coming year would be brought into the church and blessed.
There are also some more interesting superstitions that built up around Candlemas.
Given that the sky is blue and the sun is shining outside the office I guess that means that we're in for another cold snap sometime soon! There are also other links between Candlemas and signs of the coming spring - Candlemas day is supposed to be the day that bears come out of hibernation. It is also groundhog day!
So why is it that I've never heard of Candlemas? I don't know but I'm assuming that it's another one of the those cases where babies got thrown out with the bath water. With it's links to the purification of the virgin Mary, the blessing and parading of candles, the association with pagan superstitions regarding the seasons and the weather, and the celebrating of Jesus' birth on 25 December, the emerging non-conformist churches distanced themselves and in the process lost the opportunity, during the dark days of winter, to celebrate Jesus - the light of the world.
So if you get a chance later, why not light a candle, and give thanks for Jesus - light of the world.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it...the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:5 & 9.
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