On a recent visit to another church in our Diocese I was somewhat
surprised to see that both the Christmas tree and the Crib were still
in situ despite the fact that it was half way through January. On first
sight they seemed out of time and place, as if the congregation had
simply forgotten to remove them. In fact the parish had made a
deliberate decision to keep the tree and the crib in place throughout
the season of Epiphany and they will only be put away after the Feast
of the Presentation of Our Lord in early February.
Their reasoning behind this practice is that during Epiphany-tide we
continue to celebrate the coming of Our Lord - Epiphany is after all
really an extension of the Christmas season. For that parish it makes
sense to have the symbols of Christmas visible throughout that
time.
You may still find it rather odd to think of Christmas Trees and Cribs
still being up at the beginning of February. But there’s actually a lot
more sense in keeping them for the whole 40 days of Christmas and
Epiphany than to follow modern popular practice and put them up before
Christmas actually begins – here in Llandudno it’s common to see
Christmas trees and decorations up in November (even in October) when
it isn’t even Advent yet, let alone Christmas!!
But I’m not really concerned here with when Christmas trees and
cribs should be put out or put away. My real point is to
draw your attention to the day which in fact ends the
Christmas/Epiphany season and points us forward to Lent and Easter –
the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord often known as Candlemas, one
of the most beautiful feasts of the whole Christian Year.
It commemorates the moment when, 40 days after his birth, Mary and
Joseph took the infant Jesus to be presented in the Temple in Jerusalem
to fulfil a demand of the Jewish Law. For this reason the traditional
date of the Presentation is 2nd February – 40 days after Christmas.
However we transfer it to the nearest Sunday to give as many people as
possible the chance to participate in this significant feast day.
The Presentation is a feast of light, the final celebration of the joy
of the incarnation when we hear of aged Simeon taking Jesus in his arms
and proclaiming him to be “the light to reveal you to the nations and
to give glory to your people Israel.” And so we light candles to
welcome the new born Christ to his Temple and into our hearts and lives.
But as well as being the last gasp of Christmas, this day leads us on
away from the joy of the incarnation to the discipline of Lent and the
sorrow of Good Friday. The offering of Jesus in the temple is a symbol
of the his future offering on the Cross for our salvation. Simeon
recognises this when he tells Mary “This child is destined to be a sign
that will be rejected; and you too will be pierced to the heart.”
If our Crib and Christmas tree were still up we would certainly have to
tear them down now. We are being led to prepare our hearts and minds to
share the sufferings of Christ. Having celebrated the coming of Christ
the Word mad flesh we now have to share in what he came to do.
I hope that everyone will make every effort to share in the Feast of
Candlemas, that as Lent approaches we may be presented to God ‘with
pure and clean hearts by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord’.
