Anna: Preaching and Prophetic
Proclamation has long been the work of women. It is the Prophet Miriam who proclaims the greatness of her God in delivering her people from the waters of the Red Sea. She leads other women in the beating of drums, tambourines and singing. Hannah returns to the temple and rejoices after her prayers are answered. Her style of prayer becomes a model for others, as her praise becomes a model for Mary the Mother of God. (Check out the blog post from last week for how Hannah and Mary’s songs are connected.) Mary’s song echoes the tempo of her ancestresses for millennia. Elizabeth becomes one of the first evangelists, not only proclaiming the work of God in Christ through Mary but also ministering to and sistering her relative in a controversial pregnancy.
Luke 1: 41Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[e] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary is blessed not just by bearing God into the world but she is blessed by hearing and praising the works of God. The voices of women have long been chosen to be the voice of God and ordained in the holy work of proclaiming God’s plans and work. Today’s narrative comes from Luke 2: 36-40.
36 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, 37 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. 38 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.
Preaching and Prophetic - A Narrative of the Prophet Anna
I’ve lived my life, I’ve been the maiden, young and beautiful, full of hope. I’ve been a wife, 7 years of perfection, a completed chapter. I’ve buried all those I love; they live on only in my memory. My sorrow has waned to a dull ache with time. I’ve lived a full life, 12 times the length of my marriage. I am nourished not by eating or sleeping much but by the presence of Adonai. I’ve been here in this temple, seeking - a figurative slave to the work of a prophet, proclaiming the work of Adonai. I’ve been preaching the hope for a redeemer, one who will restore our covenant with Adonai. Adonai is faithful and steadfast, never breaking our covenant, but the people have lost sight. I’ve been here in this temple, an example to others of God’s faithfulness. I’ve been preaching, reminding all who would listen that Adonai keeps promises. A Redeemer has been promised through the prophets before me, a Messiah. One who would bring an end to poverty, disease, and despair. One who could bring the dead back to the living. A Messiah who would return the scattered people of God back to the land that was promised. We can place our hope in Adonai, who is faithful. Anyone who has come into this temple knows who I am and knows my reputation as a prophet of the God of Israel.
This day was different; the Spirit of the Lord was moving, stirring. A new family, a young mother with a baby, came to the temple to be purified after birth. New lives need to be purified and rectified to Adonai. New phases, the death and birth of new chapters of life, like the end of a pregnancy are welcomed into the cleansing purification rituals. Firstborn children are presented to Adonai as a mark of the covenant and in honor of Adonai’s faithfulness. Today was the day I had been preparing for. I had been fasting, praying, preaching, for years, awaiting the very day. My ear was turned to the mouth of Adonai, my mouth, a tool for hope-filled work. This child was not merely a child. My piety has taught me to recognize the work of God, the voice of God, and now, even the face of God. Looking at this child, I see salvation. I see the promised Messiah. I was not alone, a fellow prophet, Simeon, recognized this as well. He took the child in his arms, and loudly proclaimed, “My eyes have seen your salvation!” Simeon tells the young mother, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed— and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Salvation came to the temple that day, a baby in the arms of his mother. Salvation came, was marked with the covenant of God, cried and clung to his mother’s breast, like any other baby boy. Salvation, our promised Messiah, was born and here to usher in the reign of God. Let us rejoice! All who can hear, open your ears to the work of Adonai. Open your eyes and hearts to the work of this child. The work that will free all of Israel. May he grow strong and filled with Wisdom. May the favor of Adonai ever be upon him. May he redeem us all.
Selah.
