Happy New Year! Doesn’t it feel good to say that? Happy New Year! No matter how many January 1sts I’ve seen, there is still a thrill in saying those words. There’s just something about them that is still full of joy, hope, and promise. People all over this world have been celebrating the arrival of 2006 with confetti, balloons, and massive parties. They celebrate the joy of new beginnings, the hope of a better world, and the promise of what tomorrow might bring. Today’s lectionary text is also filled with new beginnings, hope, and promise. A mother and father bring their firstborn son to the temple to fulfill the laws and customs of their community. They have already been experiencing a lot of new beginnings: a new life together just a bit sooner than expected, an unplanned journey that led to their child being born in a new city, unexpected visitors appearing at the invitation of angelic messengers. Lots of new things going on. But now, Jesus is born, the shepherds have returned to their flocks, the angels have disappeared, and life is finally getting back to normal. They took their son and had him circumcised on the eighth day and afterwards gave him the name Yeshua, or Jesus. Then they waited for the 40 days necessary before they could go to the temple and offer their sacrifices. Yes, life was returning to normal. Yet, it was in this scene of domestic normalcy that Simeon and Anna both saw long awaited hopes fulfilled. Simeon was known as a man who listened to God and followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And on this particular day he found himself being led to the temple where he met Mary and Joseph. As he cradled this new life in his arms he saw more than a simple baby, he saw promises fulfilled, not only for his own people, but for all nations. That’s an awful lot to see in one small child. Yet he was so confident that he had seen God’s promise that he was ready for God to “dismiss God’s servant in peace.” In the same way, Anna, who had long spent her days and nights fasting, praying, and worshiping at the temple, recognized Jesus to be a child of promise and went about telling all who were, like her, looking forward to a time when Jerusalem would again be free. Even as a tiny baby, Jesus filled people with hope, joy, and wonder. Christmas IS a time of joy, hope, and promise. But those aren’t just things to be set aside once December 25th is over. And no, we don’t pack them up when we take down the tree. God has given us these gifts to be remembered and appreciated every day of the year. But it doesn’t end there; once we have discovered the joy, hope, and promise of God, we are called to become children of promise ourselves. As followers of Jesus, we are to live our lives in such a way that we are a light to the world that draws people to God. We are to see the divine spark in each person we encounter and nurture it. We are to delight in God and in all the ways that God has blessed us. We have been blessed so that we may be a blessing. Like Simeon and Anna we have a hope that will never fade away. As this New Year begins, think about all the ways that you can live into being the child of promise that God sees in you. And don’t worry; it’s never too late to be that child. Simeon and Anna were well into their eighties and perhaps even nineties but they were every bit children of promise as they shared the joy that God had brought to them in the unexpected guise of a baby boy. Happy New Year! May the joy of the Lord be our strength as we work toward a better world in the coming year! And as we enter once again into the normalcy of everyday life, will the people we encounter see the joy of promises fulfilled in the unexpected guise of . . . you . . . and you . . . and you . . . and me? Amen.