Jordan Paul

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel. — From the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Dear Friends,

Today’s feast day—The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple—is not necessarily a day that jumps to the top of most people’s minds. But, thanks to the use of the Nunc Dimittis in the Daily Office, many are familiar with it, perhaps without knowing.

While Jesus was at the Temple, he was held by St Simeon. According to St Luke’s Gospel, St Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When he finally did see Jesus, and held him, he spoke the words above.

If you spend any decent amount of time online (I don’t recommend it), the dual nature of Jesus—being both fully human and fully divine—is one of those weird parts of Christianity that often gets turned into a meme. A common one has Thor, Odin, or any other stereotypically masculine Norse/Greek deity on one side with a list of their accomplishments and a crucified Jesus on the other talking about how he came as a baby and couldn’t even stop himself from dying. But isn’t that the point?

In today’s epistle, St Paul writes about the importance and powerfulness of the incarnation. One commentary on this passage talks about Jesus as a pioneer. Jesus’ human nature allowed him to live—truly live—as a human. He’s not descending to earth to use his subjects as toys, as one might imagine a more vengeful deity would. And in death, he shows the possibility of divine glory for all. And it’s not just that—his human experiences make him someone that understands what humans go through. As St Paul writes: “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”

In law school, I had a therapist with a little sign on her desk that said “Treat everyone you meet as if they’re God in drag.” It was (and still is!) funny but, given today’s lessons, is more of a possibility than you might initially think. Maybe then, instead of just a funny sign, we should take it as an invitation.

In Christ,

—Jordan