The Presentation of our Lord - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 Luke 2:22-40 

Coach John Wooden took the UCLA men’s basketball team to 10 national championships in 12 years, with seven of those championships won in a row. He was named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. Coach Wooden had a unique way of coaching. He wasn’t your typical coach. He focused on little things that, to those who were watching from the outside, seemed a bit odd.  

At the first practice of every season, Coach Wooden would sit his players down and teach them to put their socks on correctly and properly tie their shoes. Why would he do this? If your socks had the slightest little wrinkle, it could lead to a blister. If your shoes were too loose, it could lead to an injury running up and down the court. While other coaches spent time in the locker room giving long speeches about winning and giving big pep talks to encourage their players, Coach Wooden said very few words. He knew that his players knew what needed to be done. His talks were short and calm. He knew his players had practiced their plays repeatedly in training, so they knew exactly what to do. There was no need to scream at them in the locker room. And when it came to talk about winning, he rarely used that word. For his players, he wanted to focus on doing things the right way every single day, not just on game day. If his players practiced with excellence and discipline, they would be successful. He wouldn’t say, “Let’s win.” Instead, he would say, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Putting your shoes and socks on properly, meticulous preparation, and doing things right day after day – rituals and practices that made Coach Wooden and his players successful.  

We all have rituals that we follow. The original word “ritual” referred to things about religious rites but through the years the definition has evolved to become a series of behaviors or actions that someone consistently follows. In your own life, you probably have a ritual you follow every Sunday morning – the alarm goes off, you turn on the coffee pot, make breakfast (always two fried eggs and toast), get a shower and get dressed, watch the news, and leave at a specific time to make it into the church just before the service, and to sit in the same spot you’ve been sitting in since the first day you walked through those doors. And then, together, we follow the rituals of the Episcopal Church as we listen, sing, pray, and commune together.  

Things were no different for Joseph, Mary, Simeon, and Anna. Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up in a family that meticulously observed the Laws of Moses – rituals and rites. Forty days after birth, the firstborn male was to be presented to the Lord at the temple, and the child's mother was to be purified. When they come to the temple for this rite, they meet Simeon and Anna.   

Simeon was righteous and devout. He waited with expectation for the promise from God – the promise that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. Even though he had no idea when this would happen, Simeon trusted, waited, watched, prayed, and listened. He listened for and was led by the Spirit into the temple on the day Jesus and his parents were there. Through faithful rituals of prayer and listening, Simeon was ready when Jesus arrived.    

Anna also had a lifelong devotion to rituals, trusting God’s promises. After the death of her husband, she devoted herself to worship, never leaving the temple. She practiced daily faithfulness by praying, fasting, and waiting for God’s redemption. She wasn’t just there. She was actively engaged, living out her faith, even when it seemed like nothing was happening. Through their rituals and faithful preparation, Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus when he was brought into the temple.    

All of our readings in today’s lectionary connect us to how rituals in our faith shape and express our devotion to God. Malachi teaches us that rituals are meant to prepare and purify the faithful. The Psalm teaches us the importance of our worship spaces and rituals to encounter God. Hebrews highlights Jesus’ full participation in human life by engaging in Jewish customs and rituals.  

In our discussion at the Wednesday healing service, we discussed church rituals. Amongst the group, Maundy Thursday was one of the most meaningful rituals brought up – the emotion around the stripping of the altar and the quietness that comes over the sanctuary. A couple of people recollected times of sitting in silence in the middle of the night at an altar of repose. The consecrated bread and wine are placed at this temporary altar for Good Friday. Our entire service on Sunday is made up of rituals in what we say and do.  

We also talked about what happens if those rituals become repetitive. What happens when the Nicene Creed and the Lord’s Prayer become so repetitive that we can forget we just said them? What happens when they become so repetitive that our mind wanders off to what we’re having for dinner as we say them? Do they lose their importance? The answer is no.  

 Simeon and Anna prayed and worshiped daily, repeating the same prayers and rituals in the temple. But when the moment came to meet Jesus, their years of faithfulness helped them recognize him immediately. The ritualistic words in our service shape our hearts over time so that when we face a crisis or moment of clarity, the truth of those words is already within us. When we go through suffering, grief, or even moments of great joy, these repeated prayers become anchors that steady us. One person in our Wednesday group is a Lay Eucharistic Visitor. She mentioned that when visiting those who are homebound, it does not matter how ill or incapacitated the person is; if they only participate in one part of the home communion service, it is in praying the Lord’s Prayer. That is so true. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve visited who were near death, who, although were lying silently listening on, will at least mouth the words of the Lord’s Prayer – it’s imprinted on their hearts.  

Coach John Wooden was a devout Christian, and his faith played a central role in his coaching and life philosophy. He built his success on the principles of humility, self-control, and perseverance. He carried a small cross in his pocket and read his Bible daily. He emphasized faith and values over trophies. Like Simeon and Anna, Wooden practiced daily devotion, trusting that faithfulness would prepare him for whatever came next. 

Rituals connect us to God’s work, and they shape our identity. When we stay faithful to them, we recognize God’s work when it happens. Faith is a daily practice, a consistent devotion, not just a one-time event. What we can consider to be repetition can reveal new dimensions of faith.  

God is calling us to be faithful in our daily spiritual practices, even when we don’t see immediate results. God calls us to trust God’s timing instead of rushing for quick results. God calls us to be spiritually aware so we don’t miss what God is doing. God calls us to share what God has done in our lives with others.  

Faith is not just about waiting -- it’s about waiting well. Amen