When Jesus was presented in the temple on the 8th day after his birth, the necessary sacrifice was given for a firstborn son.  Because Mary and Joseph were not wealthy they gave the bare minimum of a pair of doves as a consecration gift to God.  Simeon was in the temple at the time and he recognized who Jesus was.  He asked to hold the baby and then blessed him.  He told God, “You now dismiss your servant in peace.”  Simeon was ready to die in peace, because he had seen the salvation of the Lord in the eyes of this tiny baby.  Simeon knew who the sweet little Jesus boy was.  Most people didn’t recognize Christ when they met him.  They just knew there was something different about him.

One of the most profound songs of Christmas is the song Sweet Little Jesus Boy.  The lyrics say, “Sweet little Jesus boy, they made you be born in a manger… They didn’t know who you were.”  The idea is that people mistreated Jesus because they didn’t realize who he really was.  They didn’t know he was God’s Son.  Oppressed peoples often identify with this aspect of Christ’s experience because they are overlooked and mistreated as well.  The majesty and beauty of each and every person can be so easily misunderstood and overlooked when we only see the circumstances affecting their lives: wealth or poverty, education, employment, race or language. These factors can limit our view of who people are… but they do not limit what God sees.

Who is Jesus to you?  If you were to introduce your family or your friends, your neighbors or your co-workers to Jesus, how would you describe him?  For those people who don’t know Jesus, how would they see him displayed in your life?  May we see Christ in the faces of all people around us.  May we recognize the God-spark, the imago dei (Image of God) in each and every person.  This New Year, let us bring hope, peace, joy and love to this hurting world.

God, our Life and Light, thank you for coming to us.  Thank you for touching heaven and earth with your splendor.  In every corner of the world, shine with your hope, peace, joy and love.  In every corner of our hearts, shine with your grace.  Amen.