Homily, A Presentation of Generations
The Presentation of Our Lord, 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
When my wife and I learned we were expecting our first child, we decided to move in with my mom. Mom was caring for her mother, my Grandma, who had Alzheimer’s in her 70s. We knew that she could use some help caring for Grandma, and we knew that we could use some help caring for our coming baby. So when Barret was born, there were four generations that lived in the house. My son, me and my wife, my mom, and my grandma. It was a beautiful and unusual arrangement, a moment filled with both joy and tension. My son had just arrived in this world. My grandma was departing. And we met in the middle.
Households like that used to be far more common. But in today’s world, individualism often takes priority. We expect each household to stand alone—one set of adults, perhaps children, but rarely elders. Many elders don’t want to burden their children. Many adult children don’t want to be burdened. Yet the truth remains: we need each other. My grandma found new life holding my son, and my son found comfort and love being held by his great-grandmother. Care flows in all directions. And when it does, something sacred happens.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, which takes place every year on February 2, but doesn’t always take place on a Sunday. The feast marks the 40th day after Christmas, the day that Jesus was brought to the temple for his dedication to God as the law of Moses prescribed, and we see a similar picture in our gospel reading as my family lived when Barret was born. At least three generations are present. A baby, his parents, and the elders of the community. And here at the intersection of three generations, is something sacred.
There are a lot of angles or perspectives we could look at this passage from, but I’m most interested this morning in the intergenerational dimension of the story, and how each person presents something of themselves to God.
Today is called the Presentation of Our Lord because Jesus’ parents present him to God as an offering in the temple. But what we see in this passage is actually an intersection of multiple presentations—multiple offerings—that are given together, at the same time.
We can start with Simeon and Anna, the elders. Anna is at least 84 years old in this passage and while we don’t know the age of Simeon, we know that he is in a period of life where he’s beginning to think about the end. Both are faithful in prayer and worship. Both seem to carry an intuitive wisdom about the world around them. And both take a special interest in Jesus, a child who has just come into the temple. Simeon actually takes the baby in his arms and carries him. And in this moment they make an offering to the child of their attention and joy and and an offering to his parents of wisdom and encouragement. And in doing so they present something of themselves to the Lord.
Then we have Mary and Joseph, the parents. Their child is just 5 weeks old and they’ve just arrived in Jerusalem after a 90 mile journey. Both are probably full of the wonder and stress of first time parenthood. And they bring Jesus here, to the temple, not only to make a presentation of their son as the law prescribed, but to offer their own faithfulness in taking up the responsibility to care for him. They have been given a great gift and a great responsibility, to care for another human being. To love them. And to teach them God’s way of love and justice. When they bring the baby Jesus into the temple, they make an offering of their commitment to instill in this child a knowledge and love of God. And in doing so they present something of themselves to the Lord.
And finally we have Jesus, the child. Too young to speak or to walk, maybe too young even to smile, and yet he brings the greatest gift. Literally the gift of himself. Word of God come down from heaven. In this moment, Jesus is an offering from God to humanity and Jesus is offering from humanity to God. And that offering of himself fills those around him with hope and with joy, as the presence of children so often does in our lives. Jesus offers all of himself as the Lord.
In this passage, each generation makes an offering—a presentation—to the Lord.
And really, it is the perfect story—the perfect model—for what we strive to be at St. Peter’s as an intergenerational worshiping community that centers the children among us. Simeon and Anna could really be our patrons. For they do exactly what we say in our parish mission when they meet the baby Jesus. They “celebrate children and youth.” This story models for us how when we present ourselves to those of another generation, we are also making an offering of ourselves to God.
So the invitation of this passage and of this day, the Presentation of Our Lord, is to reflect on what role we play in our community and what offering we present to God through one another. If we are an elder, how do we dedicate our lives in prayer and offer our wisdom and attention to the younger generations? How do we, like Simeon, make ourselves available to care for the children among us? If we are parents with children at home, how do we dedicate our lives to instilling the knowledge and love of God into our little ones? And how do we make ourselves available to the wisdom of those around us? And if we are children, how do we dedicate ourselves to bringing hope and joy to the adults around us, and how do we point them to the presence of God in each moment?
Today is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord. And so we ask ourselves: what are we presenting? What gifts, what wisdom, what hope do we bring to one another? Because when each of us—elders, parents, children—offers what we have to God and to one another, we encounter the love of God, and our gifts become not only a presentation to the Lord, but a presentation from the Lord. And like when my grandma held my son in her arms, something profoundly sacred happens. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- How can I actively participate in nurturing relationships across generations within my community or family?
- In what ways can I offer my wisdom and experiences to younger generations to support their growth and understanding of faith?
- As a parent or caregiver, how do I ensure that I am instilling the love and knowledge of God in my children? What specific practices can I implement?
- How can I remain open to receiving wisdom and guidance from older generations in my life, and what steps can I take to strengthen those connections?
Thoughts on Faith 