There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
Luke 2:36-37
Another person who meets the infant Jesus is the prophetess, Anna. She is an elderly woman, having been married only a short time and then widowed for a long time. As we read, she never left the temple, always there, praising God and fasting.
When Anna meets the infant Jesus, she too recognises who he is, but she doesn’t keep the news to herself. She begins to tell other people in the temple all about who this child was. She shared her understanding from God with other people.
Anna’s devotion to God and the temple is both inspiring and uncomfortable for us – God is her whole life. Her dedication is deep and complete. Perhaps what we find most inspiring and uncomfortable about her is that she tells everyone about Jesus, no worrying about who they are or what they think.
God of Anna
You are with us throughout our lives
Through the good and the bad
In our joys and in our sorrow
Give us the wisdom of Anna, to see what you want us to know
Give us the courage of Anna, to share what we know about you with others
That we may know the joy and peace that she felt
And that we may serve you all the days of our lives
Amen
You can download a pdf of this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly Prayers for January 2020 by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Photo – old woman, Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
