As part of our series entitled “The Year of the Prophets,” Pam Osborne preached this sermon on the prophet Anna.
Sermon Scripture–Luke 2: 22-24; 36-40
When Pastor Brooks asked me about preaching this Sunday, he told me the scripture for the day was about the prophet Anna. To tell the truth, I didn’t remember who Anna was. I read the four verses about her that he sent—the same ones I just read to you—then went to my computer and googled her to learn more. Much to my dismay, I found out that those four verses are the only mention of her in the Bible and all that’s really known about her. The verses only tell us a few things:
She was a prophet—in fact, the only named female prophet in the New Testament.
She was the daughter of Phanuel.
She was of the tribe of Asher.
She was a widow, who had been married for seven years
She was old.
She was a holy and devout woman who worshipped night and day, fasting and praying, a routine that stretched on for decades.
For a little more background, I started reading commentaries and scholars who pointed out a few things we can infer about Anna….
- A common age for a woman to marry at that time was 14 or 15, so she was most likely widowed at age 21 or 22.
- The text states that “she was a widow of eighty four years,” which could mean that she was 84 years old, or that she had been a widow for 84 years. The majority of scholars think she was 105.
- Many scholars say she was probably allowed to live in one of the temple apartments which speaks volumes about her character. Her world was very much a male-dominated one where women were expected to be silent and unobtrusive.
- She was a workaholic, available 24/7 at the Temple, which is no small thing whether you are 84 or 105. Even at my age, I already enjoy an afternoon nap on a semi-regular basis.
- Most widows in Anna’s time lived in poverty, dependent on others for food and clothes.
- Her designation as a prophet indicates she received insight into things that remained hidden to ordinary people.
- Her talk of the Christ child to those interested in the redemption of Jerusalem indicates her deep connection with a likeminded community.
So we know a few facts about her and can infer a few others to round out the picture a bit. Next, let’s look at her role in the Christmas story. It’s an example of one of Luke’s surprising reversals—that women play a more active role than men. Mary is the first to be told that Jesus will be the Messiah, but she’s not the first to understand that. She treasures the words the angel Gabriel speaks to her, but she is also perplexed when the angel greets her and must ponder the meaning of his words in her heart. When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, Elizabeth instantly recognizes Mary is carrying the Christ child, but Elizabeth wasn’t a prophet. She didn’t know this ahead of time, and it wasn’t her job to tell everyone else once she knew. When Mary and Joseph approach Anna in the Temple at the time of consecrating their first born son in obedience to the Law, Anna recognizes Jesus as the Messiah right off and begins to bear witness immediately. She is the first in a line of prophetic disciples who spoke about Jesus to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel.
And here we are on January 4th,, 2015—over 2000 years later—and Anna can still speak to us. She can be an inspiration and a model for us to follow as we consider this new year and the opportunities it holds.
First of all, Anna didn’t look back with regret. She looked forward with hope. She certainly knew heartache and loss. Besides being widowed at a young age, she lived under the cruel reign of Herod the Great. She most likely lived in poverty. She had to be aware of the corruption in the priesthood at that time. According to scholars, she probably saw many of her extended family members belonging to her tribe migrate out of Jerusalem. Yet rather than despair, Anna focused on hope. That one thing alone could change the way you and I live. Think of the wasted energy we expend on regret. Obviously, grief plays a very necessary part in our lives, but grief adds to tragedy when we allow it to define us. When regret and grief define us, we forego the opportunity to truly live again. We have to choose where to focus our attention. Where is your hope in this New Year? Do you find yourself thinking over and over about something you regret…if I had only done this or if I had only said that. Do you bemoan change…wailing “things will never be the same! I like things the way they are now.” Are you focused on the past—on things you are powerless to change? My husband Jeff and I have a huge maple tree in our backyard that shades our deck. It has gotten so large that its branches droop down like a big umbrella; and when we sit underneath it, it’s like we’re in our own little private world. It’s cool and pleasant. Squirrels play tag overhead, and a variety of colorful birds serenade us with their melodic songs. We learned recently that the tree is dying. It will probably need to come down this next summer. I am sad about it, but I’m trying not to let my grief over the loss of this beautiful tree color the days I have left to enjoy it. I try to focus on the sun-loving flowers and bushes I can plant in the tree’s wake, the huge piles of leaves we won’t have to rake in the fall, and a deck that will no longer be dangerously slippery with algae. We need to enjoy the tree while it lasts…and then move on. What things are shifting in your life that you need to let go of? What are the ways you can look forward with hope?
Secondly, we can use Anna as a model for having a strong faith. After suffering great loss, she devoted her life only to God. That’s humbling to me, because in my life my faith has been shaken more than once by less traumatic circumstances. But she did not let the losses in her life change her faith or her love for the Lord. I just finished reading the book Orange is the New Black. It’s about a middle class white woman’s year in prison for carrying a suitcase of drug money that was never delivered. She was imprisoned ten years after the crime—long after she had straightened her life around. All the prisoners, including her, made assumptions about each other based on race, education, economics, and social status. But over time she discovered the current of humanity they all shared. She formed friendships; she used her skills to help others less fortunate than herself. She composed letters for those who couldn’t read or write and who wanted to stay in touch with family or advocate on their own behalf. She tutored women working on their high school diploma or college degree. She found love, kindness, and compassion, and her assumptions and judgments fell away. Anna shows us that God is with us in all circumstances. She teaches us that God can use us no matter who we are or what situation we’re in—married or single, rich or poor, young or old, imprisoned or free—as long as we have faith.
Thirdly, Anna models making God a priority in our lives. She was in the Temple all day. She prayed constantly. She fasted. Maybe we could say that her appetite was for God–like the desperation of a starving person for food. She longed for God. I like to think that God is a priority in my life, but do I show that by my actions? I only go to church one morning a week…and I don’t know about you, but by the time I get out of church on Sunday, I am hungry! I love my time at church, but come noon, I am ready to go home, put on some comfortable clothes, and eat my lunch. I never give a single thought to fasting. I am sorry to say that too often I try to squeeze in a little quiet time with God—if I have time after getting all of my “chores” done. Why is it that I always have time to have coffee with a friend though or read the newspaper in the morning?
I do long for God. I want to be more aware of God in my day-to-day life. I know He’s there; but I want to feel it. I ache for that. I long for change deep within. My hunch is that I’m not alone in that, but lots of things come between us and our longing:
- Sometimes the message we get from religion is that this longing is idealistic—we’re never going to be able to satisfy our longing until we get to heaven so why bother.
- Some of us come from religious backgrounds that tell us we’re too depraved as human beings to be able to trust our feelings of longing. We don’t deserve to long for God and why would He want to be with our sinful selves anyway?
- Other times we get self-help messages that inspire us briefly but leave us with the pressure that we’re supposed to be able to fix ourselves.
- Or sometimes our longing causes us to take on another activity which just adds to the already busy, frenetic pace of our lives.
I am realizing that I have to make my spiritual seeking a priority in order for the change I desire to occur. When I make my longing for God my priority, I stop being motivated by guilt or obligation. I stop badgering myself with thoughts like “I should pray more” or “I should read some scripture every day.” Instead my spiritual habits develop as a natural path to my focus on making God a priority and satisfying my longing for Him. Are you longing for something? Your longing may look different than mine.
- Maybe you are longing for love—to be with friends and family—maybe to celebrate a happy time or to be with others because you’re sad and grieving. All of a sudden you’re almost painfully aware of how precious those people are to you, and you want them to know it.
- Or possibly you are longing to be healed of something—an anger or a rage, a sadness, a grief, a betrayal, a suspicion, an illness?
- Perhaps a fundamental change within yourself is what you long for.
- Or maybe your longing is to live your life as God means you to. Anna certainly had a strong sense of how she was meant to live her life. Have you ever had an experience when you found yourself thinking, “This is what I’m meant for?” Or “This is just where I’m supposed to be at this moment.” or “This is my best self.”—Those are the times when your longing wells up and you pray, “God, I want to live my life in such a way that there are more moments like this–moments when I’m fully present to you and to others in love, fully connected to what’s most authentic in myself!”
I need more time with God in this New Year. How about you? What are you willing to commit to this coming year to show by your actions that you want more of God in your life? A walk out in nature? A few minutes of Scripture reading…a favorite Psalm perhaps? Some solitude maybe… with your smartphone on a table in a different room…or a few minutes of silence with the TV off when you might be able to listen for God’s voice…or sitting in a chair with your eyes closed sighing “Here I am, Lord.” Your desire for God and your capacity to reach for more of God than you have right now is one of the most powerful motivators for a life lived with intentionality and focus—like Anna’s life was. Anna points us to the future—a future as bright as the promises of God. Let Anna inspire you to look forward with hope, to keep your faith strong, and to make God a priority in your life.