Happy Candlemas!

February 2, of course, is an important day in Pennsylvania. It's the one day when the nation turns its attention to the small town of Punxsutawney and waits to see if the groundhog sees his shadow or not. The origin of Groundhog Day seems to date back centuries and centuries to a belief held by the Romans that if the sun shined on Candlemas Day - February 2 - and the hedgehog saw his shadow, that meant there would be another six weeks of cold winter weather. And as the Romans extended their empire throughout Europe, they eventually passed that belief on to the Germans.

So when the Germans started migrating to North America in the 1700s and 1800s, and began settling mainly in Pennsylvania, they brought that tradition with them. The only problem was that since Pennsylvania doesn't have hedgehogs, they figured that groundhogs could serve the same purpose. And now since 1886, every year on Candlemas, February 2, the world focuses in on Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see what the groundhog's prediction is going to be.

But that still leave the question: What is Candlemas? Well, Candlemas is the fortieth day after Christmas, and the holiday, if you want to call it that, is based on a passage in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. According to the religious law in Jesus' day, after a woman gave birth, she was not allowed to worship in the temple until after forty days had gone by. And so, on the fortieth day after the celebration of Jesus' birth, we remember the first time that Mary brought Jesus into the temple.

And when Mary came into the temple with Jesus, there was an elderly man there named Simeon. Apparently Simeon was a very faithful man, constantly in prayer to God, and God had told Simeon that he would not die until he had had the chance to see the Savior. So when Mary walked into the temple with Jesus in her arms, Simeon's eyes lit up, and he looked up to God and said, "My eyes have seen your salvation....[He is] a light of revelation" (Luke 2:30,32).

And so dating all the way back to at least the fourth century Candlemas has been celebrated on the fortieth day after Jesus' birth. The day is called Candlemas because it was on that day the priests would bless people's candles. That act was done to remember what Simeon said when he first saw Jesus, "He is a light of revelation." Thus, the blessing of candles on Candlemas was a way of reminding people of how Jesus is the light that shines amid the darkness of our world. And you thought that February 2 was just Groundhog Day!

Ed Bowen

What Are Your Ideas For This Blog?

Although blogging has been around for quite a few years now, I have to admit that this is something new for me. So I would appreciate your input and ideas. What kinds of subjects or topics would be most helpful and interesting?

My tentative plan is to occasionally comment about aspects of our chuch's ministry and mission, offer reflections on biblical and theological subjects, and share thoughts about matters that are going on in the community and society around us.

But my hope is that this blog will not be merely a monologue, with me doing all the talking. I hope that some of the postings will motivate people to share responses and generate a conversation.

So, what are your ideas for this blog? I would appreciate your feedback.

Ed Bowen

Healing

When you read the Gospels, you find that Jesus' ministry was essentially made up of three main components: preaching, teaching, and healing. In most churches today, we tend to focus on the first two of those components. We put a great deal of emphasis on our Sunday morning worship, with the preaching of the sermon being a central focus of that weekly experience. Likewise, most churches offer a wide variety of teaching opportunities, ranging from Bible studies to Sunday school to various small group gatherings.

Yet many churches tend to downplay the role of healing. Healing, however, is as much needed today as it was in Jesus' time.

Especially during the past month I have personally experienced how important the gift of healing is. My stay in the hospital for my surgery, and my subsequent recoverytime, has taken considerably longer than my doctors had first estimated, primarily because the operation ended up being much more complicated than was originally anticipated. And it is hard for me to imagine how I would have made it through this period without the care, prayers, and visits that I have received from my family, from our church members, and from friends.

My hope is that as we move into this new year together, as a church we will make healing an even more important focus of our church's ministry. Of course, we can continue to pray for the sick and for those going through difficult times, as we already do. But my hope is that we will be able to offer even more tangible forms of assistance. For instance, there are older people in the area who sometimes have difficulty in getting to doctor's appointments. Perhaps our church could be more intentional in helping people in that way. Or others have questions about health problems, and what they should do about them. A goal that I have is that we will be able to offer people - in our church and in the surrounding community - with opportunities to consult with a nurse or other health professional to guide them in the right direction so that they can get the help they need. And as people deal with health issues, my hope is that our church will be even more intentional in caring for those people through home visits, telephone calls, cards, and other expressions of concern, so that those who are suffering can be assured that they are not going through those trying times alone.

I believe healing was central to Jesus' ministry, because when we are suffering in our bodies it becomes very difficult for us to focus on God and it becomes very difficult us for us to feel able to do the work that God wants us to do. Therefore, healing is the gift that comes from God that makes it possible for us to be re-connected to God, and to be re-empowered to fulfill the mission that God has for each of us.

Ed Bowen