The Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Church of the Holy Spirit, Nashville, February 2, 2025

“A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”(Lk. 2:32).

A number of years ago, I took a very long journey to South Africa: a direct flight with no stops, a total of 18 hours on the plane. Maybe you have taken such a long flight. This was my first visit to Africa. I remember looking out of the window and seeing a place I had never seen before, on a huge continent that I had never set foot on. I made the journey to visit churches and people with whom we had a long distance relationship: partners in mission to whom we hoped to draw closer. It was a blessing to be there, and to see what God was doing in the life of these churches.

Christianity is a global phenomenon. You can find it everywhere you go. The Church of Christ is not limited to one place or one locality, but is coextensive with the world. It was so from the beginning; as Jesus says to the apostles after his resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). The Church has made disciples of all nations, and spread the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to the four corners of the world.

The season of Epiphany is marked by stories that underscore this global mission. Jesus manifests his glory so that the world might believe. In particular, in Matthew’s Gospel, the wise men who journey from the East to bring gifts to the Christ child came from far away to see his glory. They represent the peoples of the earth, who are not of the family of Abraham, but who are called to acknowledge the messiah. Jesus is still a child, but already his mission draws people from all over the world.

God had carefully prepared this mission, and given it a world-wide scope. The prophet Micah had foretold that God would draw all people to himself. “In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains… and many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’” (Mic. 4:1-2). God’s call to the nations was nothing new.

The prophet Isaiah also prepared the way. God says to him, “I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them” (Is. 66:18-19). God gathers the peoples of the earth and reveals his glory. Again, he says to Isaiah, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Is. 49:6). Once again, it’s all the nations of the earth that are in God’s view.

It’s this prophecy of Isaiah that is fulfilled in our Gospel today. Mary and Joseph bring the child Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, to dedicate him to God. Simeon and the prophetess Anna have been waiting for many years in the temple for the coming of the Lord. They knew the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. Now they see the prophecies fulfilled. As Simeon says, echoing the words from Isaiah, here is the One who is “A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”(Lk. 2:32). Jesus is given, not only to the family of Abraham, but to all the peoples of the earth.

It is these prophecies that are fulfilled in the Gospel. Jesus comes into the world to manifest his glory to all the nations. Jesus dies on the cross “for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jo. 2:2). He sends out his apostles to the four corners of the world with the good news of resurrection and everlasting life. It is this good news that inspires Christians to travel long distances in order to share the Gospel.

Christianity is a global phenomenon. The existence of the Church of the Holy Spirit testifies to the world-wide reach of the Gospel. Thank you for your witness in our diocese. Thank you for your ministry in this multi-cultural neighborhood. Thank you for proclaiming the Gospel to all peoples. God brings all the nations together around his heavenly throne. The Church unites people. The only frontier in the kingdom of God is the gate of heaven!

  • The Rt. Rev’d John Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee