LETTER FROM KATIE • JANUARY 28, 2026
Sam Jinks (Australian, 1973–), Woman and Child, 2010. Silicone, silk, human hair, acrylic, nylon, polyurethane foam, timber, 145 × 40 × 40 cm. Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
This Sunday, we will celebrate together (either in-person or online) the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple or the Meeting of the Lord as it is called in the Orthodox Church. The story of the Presentation is told in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 2, verses 22-40.
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple 40 days after his birth in order to fulfill two parts of Jewish law (Leviticus12, Exodus 13:12-15): the purification of a woman after childbirth and the presentation of a firstborn son forty days after the birth of the child.
At the temple, Mary and Joseph offer a sacrifice as part of the law, and there they meet Simeon, an aged holy man who was told by the Spirit of God that he would not die until he met the Messiah. This meeting is the context in which we read the “Song of Simeon,” which we pray during Evening Prayer, Compline, and Family Prayer at the Close the Day (BCP p. 73).
They then meet the prophet Anna, also advanced in years, who is able to experience Christ and proclaim him as the Messiah to all who were at the temple.
Simeon and Anna waited many years (even many decades!) before they were able to experience the promise of God entering the world. And that promise is fulfilled by the presence of a one month old baby that they can hold and gaze at with joy and amazement.
This Sunday, we will soak in some of that joyful awe that Simeon, Anna, Mary, and Joseph experienced in the Temple as our children read our scriptures and lead our prayers.
In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the presentations on scripture aren’t primarily intended to make scripture more engaging for our children. Rather, the presentations help even young children who can’t read to retell that scripture on their own. In other words, the presentation helps them to meditate on scripture.
Formation happens not when kids listen to our catechist read the story, but when they return to meditating on scripture and our liturgy (and the same is true for adults). Sometimes this pondering might take the form of silence, but we might also see kids inwardly digest scripture through art or music, later conversations, through their play, or we might not see anything at all.
This idea is consistent with an even more encouraging concept: the Holy Spirit as Teacher. Just as the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to the wise men, John the Baptist, Simeon and Anna; he reveals Jesus to our children.
Consequently, we are free to declare the gospel, create space for our children (but really anyone who visits Holy Comforter) to ponder and respond to God' s invitation; and then ask the Holy Spirit to teach all of us without fear or worry
If you are curious about what a CGS presentation looks like, I invite you to watch this video that Josie, Incarnation’s catechist, made of the Presentation of the Temple a few years ago. Hopefully it will whet our appetite for the day when we open our HC Atrium, but until that day, I invite you to pray for the families and children of HC, the people who will volunteer in our Atrium, and the people who will be drawn to HC in the coming months.
In preparation for Sunday, I invite you to read the story of Simeon and Anna with a child or perhaps ask the Holy Spirit to give you a sense of child-like wonder and openness as you read. And here’s a couple of ways that you might ponder this story.
Young kids (or older kids, or adults!) might want to re-enact the Presentation in the Temple with their own stuffed animals, or using nativity figures and a lego temple.
Artists might want to depict the scene somehow.
Calligraphers and those into fancy handwriting may enjoy copying the Song of Simeon.
Those who love fire, especially on these cold, snowy days, might want to light a candle at dinner or bedtime, and read the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32).
However we mark the Presentation of Christ, may we hold to the gospel of Jesus as the light of the world, bringing hope and peace wherever it shines. And may we together lean into the promise of Jesus’ return and the fulfillment of that promise bringing a light that will take away all darkness everywhere and forever.
I know that many of us are feeling weighed down by sorrow, fear, and anger as we have watched events unfold in Minneapolis and throughout our country. I encourage us to continue praying with and for each other and looking for opportunities to serve our local community and the common good. I also invite you to read this letter from our bishop to our diocese.
With much love,
Katie
