Everyone was busy with meeting someone, with prayers or putting temple money in the offering boxes.  Out of all the milling crowd the Holy Spirit was only able to break through to two people, Simeon and Anna.  They saw the couple with the six week old baby for who they were.  They saw the six week old baby for who he was.

It was thirty two days after Jesus had been circumcised and named.  It was the time for Mary’s purification as mandated for mothers by the Law of Moses.  As the firstborn, son Jesus belonged to the Lord.  He was the firstborn, not only of Mary and Joseph, but of the Lord.  Mary and Joseph bought either two turtle doves or two pigeons from the marketer’s.  To buy a lamb for the sacrifice was a bit out of their range.  Of course, they were carrying the Lamb of God in their arms.  He would be the Sacrifice to end all sacrifices, at no cost to anyone other than himself.  The price for this Lamb was beyond the means of everyone, for it was his life.

Were Mary and Joseph startled when Simeon and Anna, broke into the proceedings?  Well, they had been startled before, by shepherds visiting the stable maternity ward only hours after Jesus was born.  Before that there was the angel breaking into Mary’s day with a startling announcement.   We dare not forget Joseph’s dream.

Then Simeon takes the baby and begins to sing.  He is now ready to die peacefully.  His eyes have seen salvation itself.  He is holding in his arms the Light and Glory of all peoples.   Anna gave thanks to God and hurried off telling everyone.

What a day.  When Mary and Joseph finished what, they had come to do, they started the 70 plus mile journey back to Nazareth to resume their life.

That’s what we do today.  We go on with our life.  But we go having another One present who is the very favor of God upon us.