2023.12.31 | Spiritual Grandparents
“Spiritual Grands”
Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, Senior Minister & Executive Director
Eden United Church of Christ, Hayward, California
First Sunday after Christmas, December 31, 2023
Luke 2:25−40 (English & Spanish)
My twin sister Marlene and I had a rather charmed relationship with our mother’s parents, Mary and Alfred Thomsen.
Perhaps it was because we were twins and multiple births require more family support in the early years to insure the survival of infants and the sanity of adults. Perhaps it was because we were our grandparents’ first and only grandchildren for eleven years. Or perhaps it was for all of these reasons and more that my sister and I enjoyed such a special relationship with our grandparents. Regardless of the cause, the effect was all good
One facet of Marlene’s and my relationship with our grandparents was that they had a knack for bringing out our better angels. They tended to give us the benefit of the doubt in ambiguous situations. They encouraged the best in us, and as a result, we put our best efforts forward for them. We did not want to disappoint.
Long before educational psychologists were touting the value of positive reinforcement and strengths-based pedagogies, our Thomsen grandparents were implementing these approaches in our everyday lives
My sister and I were fortunate in so many ways to have had the grandparents whom we had on both sides of the house—because they were not only our biological grandparents—they were also our “spiritual grandparents.”
They were, for us, what Simeon and Anna were for the little baby Jesus. They were people who discerned our God-given potential. They named that potential, and they inspired us to claim it for ourselves.
Now, who, you may ask, were Simeon and Anna?
II
Simeon and Anna were supporting actors in Jesus’ infancy story. They played only cameo roles in the divine theater, but without them, perhaps no one would have noticed Jesus’ good qualities—perhaps not even Jesus himself.
If I had my way, every creche in the world would not only include the Holy Family, the shepherds, sheep, magi, camels, stars and angels--each creche would include Simeon and Anna.
Imagine the scene in Luke 2:25-40, which Kern just read
Jesus’ parents were good Jews. They said their prayers, they observed the High Holy Days, and they abided by Jewish Law. So naturally, eight days after his birth, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple for his bris. His father made an offering, his mother participated in the ritual of purification, and together they celebrated his inclusion in the Abrahamic covenant, through circumcision and the announcement of his Hebrew naming in the Temple.
Jesus’ presentation was a normative practice for good Jewish families. There was nothing remarkable about this occasion—except that was for their departure from the Temple.
There on the front porch of the Temple—there between the spiritual and material worlds—Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus encountered the prophets Simeon and Anna. There were these barely known, much less named, ancient icons of spiritual wisdom reaffirming what the prophets and angels foretold. They proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, the one for whom the world had been waiting.
According to Luke 2, when Simeon laid eyes on Jesus, he took the baby into his arms, praised God, and said that he could die in peace because now he had seen the Lord and knew that his salvation was secure. In a similar manner, Anna also affirmed the uniqueness of Jesus’ identity and mission. Her words were served the equivalent of a loud “AMEN” to Simeon’s proclamation
We don’t know much about Simeon and Anna from scripture, history, or archeology. In truth, they are more ancient archetypes than specific individuals. The Bible tells us that Simeon and Anna were people of mature years and deep faith. Based on the social structure and norms of the day, this divine duo probably didn’t have living relatives or benefactors who could care for them. So they did what most poor people did in those days; they went to Jerusalem and sought refuge in and around the Temple, where priests and pilgrims could be counted on to help them stave off starvation and premature death.
As archetypes, Simeon and Anna were what I like to call Jesus’ “spiritual grandparents.” They were the people who looked into his eyes and saw the promise that he represented not only for his family but for the whole world, and they proclaimed that promise to everyone who had ears to hear. Simeon and Anna saw in the little baby Jesus what even his parents might not yet have been able to see in their own son.
III
In my perfect world, everyone--every child of God--would have and be able to recognize that they have spiritual ancestors. In my perfect world, everyone of us in the Sanctuary and who is worshipping online today has and knows who are their spiritual grandparents.
I wonder. Do you?
Even if you weren’t born into a family who provided spiritual ancestors in the form of your very own grandparents, maybe you have become part of a spiritual family of choice, such as those who have volunteered to serve as your church school teachers or youth leaders, your piano or guitar teacher, your handbell or choir director, your confirmation advisor, your camp counselor, your retreat leader, or your college chaplain.
Think about your own life. Have you had spiritual grandparents? If so, what were their names? How has the good that they saw in you shaped who you have become?
In addition, how have you or might follow their example and show up for others as a spiritual grandparent, companion, or friend?
Furthermore, how might we as a congregation be a blessing to the youngest among us? As we cast our eyes upon the infants and toddlers who are sounding off in the service or running circles around us at fellowship hour, are we looking into their faces and remembering that they are children of God.
Likewise, how might we remind the elders of the church whose families have moved to far flung places that they still have family here in Hayward, that they have a lot to contribute, and that God is not done with them/us yet?
On this first Sunday after Christmas, let us take time to not only celebrate the birth of Jesus, but to also remember and thank those who have been our spiritual grandparents, and to reflect on our own call to be spiritual mentors for others, so that God’s kin-dom might come for one and all. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
We give thanks, O God, for the vision and proclamation of Simeon and Anna, and for all the people who have been spiritual grandparents to us. We pray that you would help us to remember the impact that those people have had on us, and how they were able to see the promise in us and encourage us to be our best selves.
We also pray for those who have not received the parenting and grandparenting that they have needed, and who had to find their way in the world on their own. We pray especially for those who have been injured, neglected, or abused by those who they should have been able to trust, and we pray that you might show us how we can be part of the healing and grace that is needed in the lives of others.
We pray for the children and youth of Eden Church—we pray that they may grow up to be strong, loving, and compassionate people who have a deep knowledge in their hearts of the hope that you have for them, and how they might help to make the world a better place.
We pray too for the children and youth in the Eden Area—we pray that each of us and our church may be for them a place and a people that offer safety and security, where their most creative and loving selves can emerge, and where they can find guidance and support as they strive to sort through the myriad of voices that would beckon their allegiance.
And, we pray for the children and youth whose villages are far from our own. We pray that through our offerings of prayer and financial support, others might enjoy the basic necessities of life, a loving home, and a deep knowledge that there are people who they haven’t even met who care about them. Amen.