Today we are celebrating Candlemas, the Presentation of Christ in the temple. According to Luke’s account in the Gospel reading, Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of the purification of the mother forty days after the birth. In the temple the Holy Spirit inspires Simeon and Anna to prophesy about the infant Jesus’ future. In verse 32 Simeon speaks of Jesus as a light bringing God’s salvation to the Gentiles as well as to the Jewish people.

For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of lights. In today’s picture from their book, Light, Aled and Sian are playing ‘I spy’ and looking for different kinds of light.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you bring light in darkness

and hope in despair.

Send your light into our lives,

so we may live to praise your name;

through time and through eternity.

Amen.

Next Sunday, the Second Sunday before Lent, the Gospel reading is taken from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus invites his listeners to learn from the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. The image to help prepare for next Sunday’s theme is birds. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.

Preparation Resources

Family Resources