Anna
Luke 2: 35-38
Yesterday we looked at Simeon who just “happened” to be at the Temple when Jesus was presented at 40 days. He gave us the global perspective as he broke into praise and was able to see in this little baby being presented by a poor couple. He sw the future light and salvation of the Gentiles. Amazing. At the same time a prophetess, Anna, was in the Temple and she came up and “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” She gives a glocal flavor. Luke ties her down by name, by tribe, by age, by profession and by place. Global and glocal insights were in the Temple that day. God works on the “big picture” and on the details in our lives. Luke adds another interesting detail. Anna had been waiting eighty-four years after the death of her husband for the answer to her prayer.
God works on the big pictures of our lives but he is also working on those prayer requests that it is so easy to loose hope about. I love the scene in Fiddler on the Roof when the father looks to heaven and speaks to God and asks that while God is over seeing famines and wars “and all those things that bring people together”, he asks if God could help his horse that has gone lame again-while he’s in the neighborhood. Delightful.
So as we look forward to New Years Eve and the end of 2021, in spite of the big issues that have confronted all of us, there are also the daily blessings that we often pass over as we wait for the answer to that prayer that is on the tip of our tongue. Maybe it is for a wayward child or grandchild. Maybe it is for the strength to weather a disease that is eating away yours or your friend’s strength. Perhaps it is financial. Let us make a list of the big and small prayer requests on our hearts as we enter 2022. God is listening! Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 