Alice, of Wonderland fame, was discussing things with Humpty Dumpty who was trying to explain the meaning of the word, Glory.  He said that it meant: There's a nice knock-down argument for you! which drew a protest from Alice that this was not what glory meant.

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

I was having a conversation with someone earlier this week and we were saying that English must be a very difficult language to learn because the words we use do so often mean different things.  Take the word present which is at the heart of today's Festival - The Presentation of Jesus - it has a number of different meanings. 

It can mean a moment of time - now,

or, it could mean that you were in active attendance at a meeting - it's a way of saying I am here!

or, by changing the emphasis by which you say the word, present it could mean introduce someone formally, as when someone has an audience with the Queen,

or, it could be that you are putting forward an argument for consideration or when you are selling an idea or proposal.  This is often done visually these days through a PowerPoint presentation as used by Diana Lowry about our Faith & Skills Audit;

Another use of the word present is the way we like best - the giving and receiving of a gift.

So which meaning was intended when Jesus was presented in the Temple?  At one level it was quite formal thing, something required by the religious law of Israel.  In the Book of Exodus, Chapter 13, God told Moses that every firstborn male animal or human belonged to him.   When Pharaoh hardened his heart and wouldn't let God's people go from slavery, God sent various punishments upon him ending with the destruction of every firstborn human and animal.  It was the worst and most terrible plague that God sent down on the Egyptians and it secured the release of the Israelites.  The firstborn of the Israelites were spared.  They painted their doorframes with lamb's blood and when the Angel of Death visited the land this mark ensured that the angle moved on to the next house thus sparing the Israelite children.

This, of course, is the origin of the Jewish Passover because the angel literally passed over their homes.  To remind them of this deliverance God insisted that every firstborn animal or male child belonged  to God and must either be sacrificed or redeemed.   Male children were redeemed through an offering of a pair of turtle doves or two pigeons.  These were sacrificed instead of the child - literally in the child's stead or place.  So Mary and Joseph were doing what the law required of them when they brought Jesus formally in the Temple and dedicated him to God.  This was his Presentation.

There was another Presentation in this story and it is the opposite of Jesus being offered to God.  It is about God offering himself to us.   When Simeon took Jesus into his arms, he was receiving God's gift not just for himself but on behalf of us all. 

The old man Simeon had waited a long time for a sign that God was Consoling His people.  We shouldn't weaken this word by our more usual meaning of offering sympathy or a shoulder to cry on as we try to give comfort in distress.   For a deeper meaning we have to look at who Anna saw Jesus to be - the Redeemer of Israel.  He would be the deliverer not just from the yoke of slavery which comes when a foreign power is defeated but rather one who will free us from things which enslave us and prevent us reaching out to God in love - things like wrong-doing, sin and selfishness.  When God consoles us he frees our souls from all darkness so that we can live in the light who is Christ and who delivers us up to God - Presenting us to His Father as the offering of saving love.  As Simeon took the fragile bundle into his arms he was being offered the hope he longed for, the peace sought, the certainty he saw - that God had come to his people in a spectacular way.   God in Jesus was presenting his plan for ht salvation of the world and, like a PowerPoint presentation, it is highly visible.  In His life, death and Resurrection we see God's action of loving us into His Kingdom.  And Simeon saw it immediately and from his heart he said those famous words, which we have just heard sung: the Nunc Dimittis.

What Simeon knew was that this tiny babe in his arms was the salvation, not just of the Jews but of all people.  Here Luke is stressing the universal appeal of the Gospel.  Jesus was presented to Simeon as the Saviour of the World.  God's plan is not just to the Jews, nor just to the people for whom Luke wrote his Gospel, but for all of us - all who would take that Gospel as the Good News of Jesus Christ - The One who came from God and became a human being to save us from within and who in so doing makes us ready to be presented back to God.

But not all will see it as Simeon saw it and and as we see it.  Not all will accept Jesus and what he offers.

One of the meaning of Present is, as I said, Gift.  God's nature is such that he will not force himself on those unwilling to receive Him though he will always challenge people and keep putting Himself in their way.  God is pure love and as pure love he cannot force Himself on others.   He can only offer Himself and ask us to make a choice.  To receive the precious gift of his love or not.  Saying that in no way limits God's power to change lives nor to judge those lives which turn against Him, but that power and that judgement is shown in Love.  The depth of this Love is seen most clearly in the Cross, where, as it has been described, Love was Crucified - though not defeated.  The Cross is God's most powerful demonstration of His Love for us and He died for us.

At the Presentation, an offering was made by Mary and Joseph instead of Jesus.  At the Crucifixion, Jesus offered Himself instead of others including you and me.  It was his gift to us, His Present.  But like all presents, we have to receive, open and enjoy them if we are to appreciate the love in which they are given.  And not all could.  Not all can.

Simeon recognised this in his chilling oracle which speaks of a sword piercing a heart and of the judgement which will take place between those who accept Jesus and those who do not.  Many a secret thought will be exposed by this Son of God.  Some hearts will be turned against Him, others will accept Him joyfully.

We look back at this moment with the benefit of hindsight and we can nod in agreement at the truth of what he said.  The Gospel is open before us - as is also its working out in history.  There have always been those who have rejected God's Loving Salvation and so have rejected Him.  We know also, because we are amongst them, of those who have accepted Him.  We have accepted the present, opened it eagerly and enjoyed it fully - or to be more precise enjoy it because the gift of Jesus is something we go on enjoying daily as long as he remains at the centre of our lives.

One of the best ways we can make sure of that is to take part in another Presentation.  We, to whom God has come in Jesus Christ and who have, through Jesus, been presented back to God, must now present Him to others.  Christianity is not a private religion nor is Jesus our personal possession.  We are called into His beloved Community, the Church, in order to share Him with others and if Jesus is to go on saving the world - and it certainly needs saving - then it is actually up to Christians to share Christ's saving love with all.  He has no other disciples than those whom God has baptised.  We can't actually leave it to other.  There are no others.  So it is our lives that must shout with the joyful truth that in Jesus Christ and in the power of his Crucified Love we are SAVED!  We are enfolded for all eternity in God's Love.  No matter what the world throws at us; no matter what difficulties we face personally or as a community, God's Love prevails.  That's the message we need to give to the world and we shouldn't shirk our responsibility to give it.  We are called to Present Jesus Christ to all we meet and we must present him joyfully.

After a gap of over 30 years, I am re-discovering the writings of a remarkable French Priest, Michel Quoist.  Those who were at the Faith and Skills Audit Presentation last Sunday will have heard me quote from one of his Prayers of Life.  Here's another quotation, this time from his book, Meet Christ and Live.  This is what he says:

"Let there be no more of this unbelief of believers' that does so much harm.  Jesus Christ has come.  He has saved the world.  He is risen.  He does not stand there trembling, waiting for his disciples to defend him.   He waits to be announced, to be revealed; and man, consciously or not, today more than ever waits for the Good News.  He is not going to meet Jesus automatically ... it is up to ... Christians to introduce Christ to him by joining in man's battles, progress and aspirations."

Only when we show that Jesus Christ is present in our lives and that he means everything to us - and only when we join in the human struggle to make good and, by our loving action turn the world away from bad towards the light and love of Christ, will we really Present Him to all as their only true hope.  And that is what we must do!

The thing is, of course, that the more we show Jesus Christ to others, the more He will mean to us too.  It's a win/win situation.