Father, now this is your word. We ask your Holy Spirit, do you fresh working within us, sent to us, opening up your scriptures. Take us to Jesus. We ask in your name. Amen.
So a quick brief talk. And uh, the first is just thinking about this overview of the passage. We’re gonna focus on Anna, uh, but just a, a, a very quick walkthrough. Uh, the rest of the, of the chapter two. Uh, so if you’re following, uh, that passage, you would see different movements through it. So we begin with this purification and dedication, uh, in verses 22-24.
Joseph Amery are in the temple because of the Old Testament law. And then Simeon is introduced where we read a lot about the spirit being focused upon the spirit, active and leading, and so on and so forth. And then we read about Simeon meeting, Jesus verses 27 28. And his response, those words, prophecy, that are known as a nun, DTUs, uh, in Anglican tradition and in many churches, he also blesses Mary and Joseph, and he prophesies over Jesus and they prophesize over Mary.
And then Anna is introduced. Verses 36 and she meets Jesus. And we read of her response, which you could sum up as being praised to God and sharing with others. And then the gospel ends with this idea of going home, home to be Nazareth. And then we hear about Jesus first 12 years, how he grew from a baby to a child, to a teenager.
And what happened is that he became strong. He became wise. And God blessed him, which are good prayer points for any of our children, uh, as they grow up. So thinking about Anna again, just four, four. It’ll be four brief points, but let’s just think a little bit about her. There is something I find really beautiful to see someone reach a great age and still see them excited about the Lord, you know, using their gifts.
They’re expectant and they’re praying, they’re continuing to talk about things of faith to others. You know, I find that just beautiful and it taps into, uh, a hope Maybe each of us have that, that we’re inspired by people like Anna to be somehow hope to be like them. When we come to their age, it reminds us also Paul.
I mean Paul, when he’s in prison to Timothy, he’s old. He’s facing death and what does he do? At the end of his letter, he asks Timothy to bring his scrolls and why does he ask to bring the scrolls so he can keep serving a church and keep growing? Paul said in two Timothy four, the time for my departures near.
I fought the good fight. I finished the rest. I’ve kept the faith. There’s something beautiful about seeing people who’ve lived a lifetime with the Lord, and they have lived that out. They fought the fight, finished the race, kept the faith. Um, Annas described as Jewish from the time, uh, tribe of Asher.
She’s also described as elderly. She was 84 years old, and she also had experienced true sorrow in the prime of her life. In her twenties, her husband had died.
Anna joins a list in Luke one and two whose piety is described. Zacharia and Elizabeth are described as righteous in God’s eyes, and who obeyed Lord’s commands. And Simeon, who we just heard about, Simeon, is described as devout in righteous. So for these remaining minutes, what can we learn about Anna’s worship and faithful following?
First, Anna was gifted from the Lord. She’s a, a prophetess, a prophetess, someone upon whom the spirit rests. So after 400 years of silence, no prophets since, uh, Malachi, there’s a renewal of prophecy around Jesus. Zacharia is filled with the spirit. And he prophesies. The spirit rests on Simeon, he prophesies, and now Anna, by the same spirit prophesize.
But that spirit of prophecy we learn is not limited to the times of Jesus on Pentecost, the spirit is poured out. And Peter, of all the passages he could have chosen, he chooses Joel to explain what’s happening. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel in the last days. God says, I will pour out my spirit in all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women. I will pour out my spirit in those days and they will prophesy. So we live now in the age of the Holy Spirit. We live in the last days and prophecy, and God speaking is part of that era, Peter is saying.
But think about it. Anna was someone who was in her eighties and she still uses her gifts. So for us here today, is it possible, looking back, is it possible that you have. Spiritual gifts, which you have put to the side, or perhaps you had a negative experience and I caused you to stop using them,
so Anna was gifted from the Lord. Anna prayed to the Lord. The temple was seen as a place. Were God dwelt, Jesse Rile, the Anglican Bishop says Anna was a woman who loved God’s house. You could say the old hymn, nearer my God to the nearer, to the was the cry of her heart. She would agree with David’s prayer. In Psalm 84, my soul yearns. Even faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
She got as close as she could to his presence, to the altar, the ark, and the holy of Holy. She got as close as she could to there. She didn’t just bring sacrifice. She was there night and day. Now literally that is impossible, but that phrasing means she was all the time she was there. All the time there.
It’s the same way the disciples are described. At the end of Luke’s gospel, after Jesus ascended, it says Disciples stayed continually at the temple praising God.
When you look at Jesus’ life, uh, you see various practices he did. You could call ’em spiritual practices, which created time and space to be with his heavenly Father and to serve. These could be listed as prayer, as scripture, as fasting, solitude, witness service, generosity, Sabbath, and community. Anna had built into her life prayer and fasting as a divine Jew.
We assume Sabbath was a practice. She also practiced and we also see witness and community. She was talking to others. About faith, but also she was in relationship with others who she also knew. Were looking forward to the coming of God’s Promise King. So Lent is approaching, it’s February 18th. Is there a spiritual practice you can take on over those six weeks notes when we talk about taking something on?
I think to be honest with our lives, we usually need to take things out first.
And when we think of spiritual practices, it can be helpful to think of it in two ways. There are practices that we currently do or we would enjoy doing, which is a bit like going downstream in a river. We go with the flow. It’s enjoyable, but there are other practices where we may feel we’re swimming upstream.
Going against the current challenging stretching, but overland, is there a practice you can take on to give more time and space to being with the Lord or serving him? So Anna, pray to the Lord.
Anna looked for the Lord. So through the spirit, you recognize the king in that baby. She was allowed to see the one for whom she probably prayed. She was able to see the one who had been promised in the scriptures. We are inspired by Anna’s example again to walk by faith and to look forward. Christ has come, but his return, his second advent is promised that glorious second advent.
When there will be total redemption. We sung about it in the, in the first, uh, in the second, uh, song hymn of heaven, redemption of our Earth, from sin, from Satan, from devil defeated and destroyed from death, and all sorrow gone. We look forward that glorious second advent, Anna inspires us to look forward and long for that second coming.
You know, we mentioned Paul’s words as his life nears to the end. If you remember what he had said and then he went on to say something more. I have kept the faith, but then he goes on to say, no, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness with the, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing, longed for his appearing.
Anna was someone who looked. For the Lord.
And finally, Anna talked about the Lord. Anna’s seen Jesus. She’s praised God for Jesus. And now she talks to others about Jesus. And when you think about it, she’s just like so many others in the story. I mean, the angels. Praise God for Jesus and tell the shepherds praise and tell Anna praises and tells someone.
Once said, if I’m truly worshiping, I cannot but help witness and talk to people about the Lord. It makes us think of acts and acts. Peter and John are threatened and told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus and their response is. Judge for yourselves, whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God for we cannot help.
Speaking about what we’ve seen and heard, our society in Europe encourages us, pressures us to keep our faith private, which is quite ironic when you think about much of social media where Facebook, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, encourage us to share what matters to us. So Anna saw Jesus, it mattered to her and she talked about him.
So who today or who this week can you talk about the Lord with?
So look in a few verses shares, but Anna, Anna better, her example. He felt Theophilus, the guy who writes to needed to hear about her, the Spirit led him to share. And what do we learn? Well, Anna was gifted from the Lord. Anna prayed to the Lord. Anna looked for the Lord and Anna talked about the Lord.
So shall we pray as we finish?
Lord, we thank you for Anna’s example. Pour your spirit again into our lives.
May we use your gifts, may we desire your presence. Help us to long for your coming. And help us to talk to others about your son in Jesus name. Amen.