On the Presentation

Malachi 3.1-5; Luke 2.22-40

Apologies for the lateness of this reflection, and greetings from rural Cambridgeshire, where Sarah and I are staying for the next few weeks. We are staying in a perfectly picturesque little village — thatched-roof cottages, a beautiful old church — and I am particularly enjoying saying Morning and Evening prayer from the beautiful church choir. With no further ado:

This past Sunday, there was a break from the pattern we’ve been tracing of the post-Epiphany lections, with their lectio continua through Romans 12 and the beginning of Romans 13. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Commonly Called the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, happened to fall on a Sunday this year, and so instead of contemplating Paul’s injunction to be subject to the governing authorities or Jesus’ calming of the storm and casting out demons in the country of the Gergesenes, we instead get to consider Malachi 3 and Luke 2.