There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Today’s passage features another person who has a message about the baby, Jesus. This time a woman who was also a prophet, named Anna.
Much like Simeon, the Holy Spirit was active in Anna, and this allowed her to speak truths that she could not have possibly known without the Spirit’s revealing it to her.
It’s as though just as Joseph and Mary have received a message from Simeon about the importance of the baby, another person, Anna, brings additional confirmation about their baby’s character.
Multiple messages are something we should pay attention to, I think. Ignoring them can only lead to all sorts of trouble.
Whether it’s a ‘Next Exit’ or a ‘Wrong Way Go Back’ sign, ignoring such a sign could be catastrophic.
How much more so then when we ignore ‘a word’ or prophecy or promptings from the Holy Spirit? Prophecy is not something to play around with or treat lightly. If we aim to put out the Spirit’s fire, then we may as well go sit ourselves on top of an active volcano and enjoy the explosion.
So what does Anna say when she prophesies?
She gives thanks when she sees Jesus and then she speaks about redemption.
Redemption. When I googled the definition, there were two options for the word’s meaning:
- The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
- The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment or clearing a debt.
I think the Bible’s definition has elements of both.
And, as Anna makes clear, our redemption is firmly connected to Jesus. It is in fact, only through Jesus that we can be bought back from the sin that we are living in, as I explored in yesterday’s post.
It is the great exchange at the cross, at Easter that secures our redemption. But Anna sees the upcoming redemption as she looks at the baby with Mary and Joseph. She sees the new wave of Spirit beginning to unfold with the birth of the Messiah. And knows that she must speak about it freely to all who wish to hear about it.
So what about you?
Can you see God doing things in your life as we get closer to Christmas?
Are you seeing redemption in your own life or in others? Are you sensing the prompting of the Holy Spirit to ‘walk’ a particular path?
Multiple messages are something we should pay attention to, I think. Ignoring them can only lead to all sorts of trouble.
If we aim to put out the Spirit’s fire, then we may as well go sit ourselves on top of an active volcano and enjoy the explosion.
Yours avoiding volcanoes, active or otherwise,
Alison
