Readings for the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church Eureka on Sunday February 2, 2025.
Today we celebrate one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, also known as Candlemas, which is always celebrated 40 days after Christmas. We haven’t always celebrated this feast at Christ Church, but we do today because this year the feast falls on a Sunday, just as it did five years ago, at our Annual Meeting back in February of 2020. Not many of us knew back then that only weeks after that meeting, we would need to discontinue our in-person services due to COVID. During that long season of illness and isolation, all our souls were pierced at least a little bit by that sword of sadness that Simeon describes in our Gospel today. But even when we had to meet online and had to reimagine all our special sesquicentennial celebrations and plans, the spiritual fire of this community did not go out. Even if some of the fiery momentum we had going had turned to embers during that time, those embers remained lit and hot. Appropriately, our sanctuary lamp here, which symbolizes the presence of Christ in this temple of worship, always remained lit even when this place was mostly empty for so long. And now, five years later, the fire of our community has been rekindled and we are en fuego! And we will never again take for granted the opportunity to gather here in person. It is so important for each of us – each of you – to be here in person, together in what today’s Psalm calls God’s lovely dwelling place. Let us never take this for granted. The next time when we want to sleep in on Sunday morning, let us not take this for granted.
Mary and Joseph did not take the temple for granted when they brought their 40-day-old baby Jesus along with their humble offering of two turtledoves to the temple, where the light of that baby’s presence brought overwhelming joy to Simeon and Anna. Your presence here brings overwhelming joy, while amplifying and intensifying the divine light in this House of Worship because the divine light dwells within you. That’s what the candles represent. Let your light shine by making it a priority to be here in God’s glorious temple.
155 years ago, at the very first vestry meeting of Christ Church, our founder Thomas Walsh, former mayor of Eureka, said, “My earnest prayer is, and will be for the prosperity of this Church; [for] Peace [to] be within her walls, and plenteousness to all those who go therein.” May we feel the peace and plenteousness within these walls. Mr. Walsh then referenced the Psalm that we just chanted together this morning: Psalm 84. Thomas Walsh said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in palaces of unrighteousness.” Better is one day here in God’s House than a thousand elsewhere.
Because you showed up and brought your gifts and your light to this church, this last year has abounded with bursts of God’s glorious radiance. The year of 2024 kicked off with the lovely wedding of David and Valerie,[1] followed by the enormously successful Betty Chinn Book Signing and Chinese New Year event which brought over 255 people who filled this church with God’s Amazing Grace, as we all turned a page together in our church’s history through our partnership with Humboldt Asian & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, HAPI. 140 years ago, almost exactly, some church members here were involved in the expulsion of the Chinese from Eureka. Today, we support HAPI and the Chinese community as partners and friends, thanks to our shared love for a Chinese immigrant who brings healing to our county’s social wounds, Betty Kwan Chinn.[2] During Lent, our parish hall filled up each Tuesday night with people from all over the county, from different denominations and faith traditions, to discuss the book The Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life of Betty Kwan Chinn. We discussed the bookwith the author herself, Dr. Karen Price, and the subject of the book, Betty Chinn, whose light has been felt not only in this church and not only in this county but all around the world.[3]
Then, well over 200 people worshipped with us on Easter,[4] followed by our Fearless Faith Revival event, which included participation in the Rhododendron Parade, the blessing of our new Prayer Labyrinth, a Hymn Sing, dinner and more. When we add up the participation in all these events on that one day, 250 people participated.[5] Since purchasing our new prayer labyrinth, we have offered Labyrinth Walks each month to the wider community who have embraced it, thanks to Kathryne DeLorme and her team who are committed to letting the sacred light of the Labyrinth shine.[6] During Pentecost weekend in May, Dr. David Odorisio led a workshop and retreat on Thomas Merton and his final presentations in the United States, which were held here in Humboldt County; and I was personally brought to tears, even sobbing, as I reflected on Betty Chinn’s remarkable life in the light of Merton’s wisdom.[7]
Not long after General Convention where we elected our new Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Sean Rowe,[8] our Bishop Megan visited us to bless our pets on the Feast of St. Francis and to confirm and receive seven new Episcopalians on the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila,[9] which has inspired a number of us to read together Teresa’s spiritual classic The Interior Castle in a lively book study that continues today. And speaking of lively book study, Pastor Karen Stanley continues to let her radiant light shine in the exceptional Bible Studies she leads every Thursday afternoon!
This year, I was appointed as the Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer for the Diocese which feels appropriate considering all the different traditions with which we’ve been involved this last year. I published Spiritual Friendship Distilled featuring the cover art of David Lochtie.[10] We hired two new staff members, and we are welcoming back the Reverend Nancy Streufert, who was sponsored for ordination by this parish a decade ago and who now celebrates the tenth anniversary of her ordination this very weekend. Our blessings overflow, thanks to all the ways we have let our light shine here within these walls and beyond. I haven’t even begun to highlight the many inspiring ways we have been generously upholding our core values of hospitality and outreach to the wider community, which I hope you read about in our Annual Reports booklet.
On this Feast of the Presentation of baby Jesus, it feels so apt that we present baby Joel to receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism and give him his own baptismal candle on this Candlemas, reminding him to let God’s light shine upon him and through him all the days of his life. And this brings me to what Jesus would likely consider the greatest ministry at Christ Church: Joy Mass! Thanks to Vickie and John Patton and Robin Cardona and the Joy Mass team, we have become more than a community of Simeons and Annas (which we are), but also a community where Christ appears as a child in our midst, filling Simeon and Anna with deep gladness. I just visited Helen Hui at Granada on Friday night, and she was expressing her gratitude for the children at Christ Church, not unlike Anna the Prophetess in the temple. And several months ago, David Griggs spoke as poetically as Simeon the Prophet when he said that “the cry of a small baby [during worship] epitomizes the growth of my church, the glory of the new life in our congregation.” It is that very same baby whom we baptize today, whom we welcome into the Body of Christ.
As we all renew our baptismal vows in a few moments as part of Joel’s Baptism, may we reclaim these promises and use them as a roadmap to letting our light shine by continuing to gather here in person for the breaking of bread and the prayers, by striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being, and by seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. In doing this, we will continue to fulfill our founder’s 155- year-old earnest prayer that peace and plenteousness bless all who gather within these walls. Amen.
[1] 103 people attended this wedding on Saturday January 20, 2024. As of February 1, 2025, there have been 175 views of the livestream recording of the wedding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO2YU6BrlR8
[2] 255+ people attended the Betty Chinn Book Signing Event on Saturday February 10, 2024. As of February 1, 2025, there have been 285 views of the livestream recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCVDI7eT78Q
[3] We averaged 43 people in attendance in our weekly discussions of The Gray Bird Sings: Feb 20 (54), Feb 27 (42), March 5 (41), March 12 (32), March 19 (46).
[4] 222 people attended on March 30/31 at the Easter Vigil (67) and Easter Sunday services (155). As of February 1, 2025, there have been 101 views of the livestream recording of the Great Vigil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFgBYIDInSU) and 159 views of the Easter Sunday 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZTMy5EdJLA).
[5] On Saturday April 27, we hosted 54 people at the church during the Rhododendron Parade. 57 people attended the Labyrinth Walk, 71 attended the Hymn Sing, and 68 the Revival Simulcast. The video that highlights the events currently has 268 views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isf_hTg21Yc
[6] Prayer Labyrinth attendance numbers: Labyrinth numbers: April 27 (57), May 3 (30), August 17 (9), September 21 (8), October 19 (8), November 5 (14), December 21 (30), January 18 (17).
[7] 184 people attended during Pentecost weekend: 58 people attended the workshop on Saturday May 18 and 126 people attended Sunday services on May 19. There have been 257 views of Dr. Odorisio’s Pentecost sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AINpcp6zsQc. There have been over 300 views of the first of five videos covering the Saturday workshop/retreat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDVwrx_4lM4
[8] https://deforestlondon.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/day-4-of-gc81-june-26-2024/
[9] 145 people attended the Sunday services on Sunday October 13, when Bishop Megan visited; and currently, there have been 145 views of the livestream recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtK2fMMmCE
[10] https://apocryphilepress.com/book/spiritual-friendship-distilled/
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 