Rembrandt : Anna and Simeon in the temple
On this third Sunday in Advent we light the candle of Joy. The apostle Peter wrote that we are to “rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s suffering, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13 NRSV). It seems that suffering is deeply and mysteriously intertwined with joy. It is in the waiting, longing, mourning, aching and suffering that we become dependent upon the One who was and is and is to be – with us. It is in becoming aware of this love in our midst, within our darkest moments, that we can experience the mystery of suffering and joy.
Anna occupies a small cameo in the gospel of Luke. Just three verses packed with a profound story of suffering and joy. Among the ranks of very few prophetesses named within the scriptures, she seems to be a woman of stature within the Temple. She is from the tribe of Asher, one of the Northern tribes that were exiled by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8thcentury. Now known as one of the lost tribes of Israel. Her family is one of the few who managed to journey home, to Jerusalem.
Home. Anna had a home. I imagine a young woman, full of life, ready to take on the world. I imagine a wedding ceremony and a couple naïve and courageous enough to take risks. I imagine their home, probably only a room in his family’s house, but an oasis away from the world and a place to belong. With each other. Until it was not. After just seven years of marriage Anna became a widow never to marry again. In the ancient Near East, where place in the social order was of great importance, a widow was considered insignificant, even worthless. A burden to society. She would have been robbed of her status, her heritage, her future. It is no wonder she “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:37). Her place of belonging became the Temple, and her heart became the Lord’s alone. She had lost her status and her place in the world, but God’s steadfast love continued to welcome her home.
It was there that Anna waited. For decades. Praying, fasting, worshiping she ached for the promise of rescue, not only for herself, but for the world around her. I imagine moments of exasperation and doubt creeping in. The same prayers spoken over and over again wondering if God could hear her. But she had known God’s faithfulness and had seen her prayers answered before. God had entrusted her with his wisdom and knowledge. So much so, that the evangelist names her and acknowledges her title of prophet. (Her own father is only famous because of his daughter’s character before God and his people!) God had entrusted her with his plans before, and he had entrusted her with his plan again. The plan of rescue that she hoped for was worth suffering for night and day. Seeing and not seeing. Holding the tension of prophetic hope and stark reality. For decades.
Then in a moment. Anna sees. Anna and Simeon would have been known to each other. Tarrying together “looking forward to the consolation of Israel” (2:25). God’s mercy to them both. Mary and Joseph, tired, weary, excited and full of hope step into the Temple and are welcomed with great joy. Confirmation, once again, that they are charged with caring for the Messiah. The One who was and is and is to be – with them. In a moment Anna’s hopes are realized. Any doubt is dispelled. All the suffering, the aching, the longing is realized. And the joy can’t be contained. “At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (2:38). In a moment, she saw Immanuel, God with us, face to face. I imagine joy bubbling out of her like water flowing from the Temple, reaching into all the dark places of longing, giving hope to all who were listening. The long-awaited redemption was seen by her old eyes upon this helpless babe. God’s kingdom was breaking into reality through this vulnerable, precious child. Joy overflowed.
How are you looking for redemption?
Where are you awaiting Christ’s coming?
How are you experiencing the glory of God revealed within this season?
Prayer: May you know the steadfast, faithful love of God in this season. And may you be blessed to experience God’s glory revealed.
Charis Rousu serves as a pastor of Harvest Vineyard, alongside her husband Nathan. She loves those that God puts in front of her whether that be in Sunday school, the community, or quietly in the pastoral office. She’s a certified spiritual director, currently working toward a Master of Counselling. Nathan and Charis have 3 adult children and one new son-in-law! They are happily all freezing in the Edmonton area.