SHEKINAH RETURNS

Reflections on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Malachi 3:1-4, Hebrews 2:14-18, Luke 2:22-40

What is Shekinah? Derived from the Hebrew word Shachan, Shekihan (skene in Greek), means ‘the glory of God which dwells’. It is a visible manifestation of God’s presence among His people in varying forms.  The burning bush was a visible manifestation of the Shekinah glory to Moses (Exodus 3:6). The Shekinah glory walked with the people of Israel on their liberative journey from Egypt to the promised land in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:20). The Shekinah glory then filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34) and finally filled the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 8:11). However, Israel soon fell into sin, wickedness, apostasy, and idolatry.

The Shekinah glory, therefore, left the holy of holies (Ezekiel 9:3), the temple (Ezekiel 10:4), and finally the city of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23). Eventually, the temple was destroyed in 586 BCE and the people were taken captive by the Babylonians. After 70 years, they returned in groups under Zerubbabel (516 BCE), Ezra (467 BCE) and Nehemiah (455 BCE) to rebuild the temple and repopulate Jerusalem. The last chronological event mentioned in the Old Testament is Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls and gates around Jerusalem. The Bible does not record the return of the Shekinah glory to the Second Temple. During ‘the 400 years of silence’ that followed, prophecies were scarce and foreign occupations became frequent.

600 years had passed since God’s glory had left His temple. Herod had attempted to beautify the Temple and expand it during his renovation attempts in 19 BCE but the visible manifestation of God’s glory did not occur. Israel was faced with the question of whether God had permanently shut out His People. It was hoping against hope to see the Shekinah return to the Temple as declared by prophets (Ezekiel 43:1-4; Isaiah 60:19). In today’s first reading, Malachi resonates a similar hope when he declares, “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek”. He proposes that after a period of purification, “the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by”.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord that we celebrate today is God’s response to Israel’s long hope. Joseph and Mary carry the visible manifestation of God’s glory into His dwelling again. We are challenged to recognise the Shekinah glory shining through the events surrounding the incarnation. “The glory of the Lord shone round about the Shepherds” (Luke 2:9). “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). In Jesus, “the dwelling place of God’s glory” (Colossians 2:9), the Shekinah returns to the Temple. Who were present there to recognise and welcome the return of the Shekinah glory? Two senior citizens Simeon and Anne, both filled with the hope and expectation of the Lord’s return.

Simeon, whose name literally means ‘the one who listens or obeys’, is described as a righteous and devout man filled with the Holy Spirit and awaiting the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He “takes the child Jesus (the visible manifestation of God’s glory) into his arms, and blesses God saying, “my eyes have seen your salvation”. What did Simeon see to convince him that he had seen the Salvation of God in this tiny Child? He has not seen any of the signs or miracles that Jesus would go on to perform. He had not listened to any of his parables or teachings. All that he saw was a child and it was enough for him. He indeed is proof of the fact that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1)

Prophetess and widow Anne, whose name signifies ‘God’s grace’, would not quit the temple. She spent her time fasting and praying, waiting for the Shekinah’s return. She does not fail to recognise the grace that had entered the temple. Once she discerns God’s glory, she goes about “speaking about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem”. Simeon and Anne challenge us to recognise the Shekinah glory in its ‘little’ manifestations. They challenge us to be attentive to the subtle ways in which God fulfils our longings and hopes. They teach us to listen, marvel, and pass on the Shekinah glory to those around us. Do you recognise the Shekinah’s return?