CELEBRATION OF LAY MINISTRIES
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Malachi 3:1-5
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Hebrews 2.14-end
GOSPEL READING: Luke 2:22-40
Today we observe the festival of Presentation of Christin the temple. Today also marks the end of the Epiphany season as we now prepare for the season of lent and to experience and understand the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The gospel reading painted before us a glorious sight of Joseph and Mary carrying the child Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the traditional rite of purification of the mother. At this instance, Joseph and Mary are met by two amazing people. Both are elderly people, Simeon and Anna and on seeing the child Jesus they proclaim him as the messiah of God for all people. Simeon tells about the significance of the child to Jospeh and Mary, Anna on the other hand tells about Jesus to all the people who have come to the temple.
This is quite an extraordinary change that God has initiated by sending his son Jesus Christ into the world, to live amidst people and to show the love of God to the world by dying on the cross of calvary as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
Here is the son of God as a little child in the hands of Joseph and Mary, Simeon and Anna. Interestingly they are all lay people and they are not part of the company of Priests, Pharisees or Sadducees. These lay people are celebrating the presence of Jesus in their midst with wonderful words of praise.
On this Sunday we are celebrating the ministry of lay people in the Diocese of Southwark. It is wonderful that people involve themselves is ‘AFFIRMED MINISTRIES’, ‘COMMISSIONED MINISTRIES’ and ‘LICENSED MINISTRIES’. They share their faith, their time and talents in the various ministries of the church. On this Sunday we take time to learn about the various ministries and see how we can involve in these ministries of the church.
All of us baptised in the faith of Jesus Christ have been given the gifts of the Holy Spirit for us to use and share for the good of all people. The first contribution that we make as lay people is coming to Church which is a kind of ministry. We proclaim the death and resurrection and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are so many people who serve our Church by taking up various responsibilities and serving the church in a very committed and a devoted manner. We are thankful to all of them, and we pray for God’s blessings upon them.
God in Christ calls us all to serve God in whatever way possible to show the love of Christ in the communities where we live. We do that with and help of the Holy Spirit who guides the church.