Rev. George
Miller
Dec 29, 2024
Luke 2:21-38
When we read the Gospels, we
get to experience Jesus from at least 4 different writers living during 4 different eras.
The Gospel of Luke reads as
if it is written by someone with the luxury of time and observation.
The author appears to be
fascinated with meals, miracles, the prayer life of Jesus and how he interacts
with women.
Luke takes time telling us
about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
He writes as someone who
knows all about his people’s past and has confidence in their future.
Luke is someone who believes
in tomorrow.
Because of this, Luke makes
references to the matriarchs and patriarchs of our faith, such as today’s story
of the baby Jesus being presented in the Temple.
Like a faithful Jew, Mary
has her son circumcised 8 days after he is born. Six weeks later she presents him in the
Temple, where two Elders acknowledge that he is the Messiah.
There is Simeon who waited
his whole life for such a day.
There is Anna, a woman who has
devoted her whole life to worship and praise.
She not only celebrates God,
but she tells all those she meets that redemption has come to the people.
At 84 Anna becomes one of
the first evangelists. Who is this Anna?
Through bits of detail, Luke
gives rich information, helping us to realize how awesome Anna is.
She is the daughter of
Phanuel, a member of the Asher tribe. Phanuel
means “The Face Of God.”
Phanuel is also the name of
one of the angels said to stand before God; the angel of repentance and hope
for those who inherit salvation.
So…Anna is the daughter of a
man who’s named after the angel of repentance, hope and salvation, who’s name
means “Face of God.”
No wonder Anna had the honor
of seeing Jesus and to recognize that he is the One who will redeem the people.
Anna was part of the tribe
of Asher. Asher was the son of Jacob and means “Happy.”
When Asher was born, Jacob’s
wife said “Happy am I, for daughters will call me happy.”
In other words- Anna is a
member of the Happy Tribe.
Imagine how happy Anna must’ve
been when she saw the baby Jesus.
But there’s more. Asher was given
a blessing that he shall have tasty bread and treats.
The tribe of Asher had land
on the west coast of Israel, the most fertile of soil, with rich pastures and
prosperous orchards.
The Tribe of Asher was known
for their olive oil and were the suppliers of oil used in Temple ceremonies.
In the Book of Deuteronomy,
Moses says “Most blessed be Asher, may he be the favorite of brothers and may
he dip his foot in oil.” (33:24)
Not only is Anna the
daughter of Phanuel-The Face of God, she is the descendant of Happiness, and she
belongs to the tribe that was responsible for the Temple’s oil and considered
the most blessed..
Can we see just how awesome
Anna is?
Anna, the descendant of happiness,
blessedness, and anointing gets to see the Christ-child with her own eyes, praise
God, and tell all she knew about Jesus!
But there’s more. Since Asher’s mother was a servant, there’s a
chance she was not an Israelite and of a different ethnicity.
In today’s terminology,
there’s a chance that Anna and her family were mixed, with biological lineage
tied to someone who was once a slave.
Second, the tribe of Asher
was considered one the “Lost Tribes of Isreal” that had split from the south.
So now, we have a richer understanding
of who Anna is, and how special her encounter with Jesus is.
She is the daughter of a man
named “The Face of God.”
Her great ancestor was once a
slave.
She is descended from
“Happiness,” a child of mixed heritage who was called most blessed of all.
Anna comes from people who
lived on fertile ground, providing oil for the Temple, and once considered
lost.
This isn’t just the story of
an old widow who sees Baby Jesus and praises his name.
This is the story of a
survivor. This is the story of someone
whose ancestors experienced great blessings and great tragedies.
This is the story of someone
whose family was different; a woman born out of the hope of repentance and
salvation.
Anna is basically the
Biblical narrative condensed into one person.
Therefor, Anna is all us of
us.
Anna may not have a lot of
space in today’s story; but in some ways Anna IS the story.
Anna is anyone who knows
what it is like to have loved and to lost.
Anna is anyone who knows
what it is like to be alone, but not feel lonely.
Anna is anyone who is
different. Anna is anyone who has come
across hard, unexpected times.
Anna is anyone who dares to hold
on to the promise that there is still hope, there is still happiness.
Anna is anyone who knows
what it is like to wait…and wait…and wait some more.
Anna is YOU; Anna is I; Anna
is US.
Like Anna, we are the
children of Blessedness, we are the Children of Happiness, we are the children
of fertile ground.
Which means we are all
Children of Possibility.
And as Descendants of the
Christmas Story, we know that in Jesus, we have seen The Face of God.
For that, we can say “Amen.”
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