It’s that time of year again: time for the endless commercials about fitness machines, diet plans, and gym memberships. If you haven’t already, it’s time to join in on this yearly ritual by making your new year’s resolutions. Every year, we all collectively decide that we ate way too much for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s starting to show, and we need to do something about it. Or, we look back on last year and think, “Man, I was way too undisciplined and devoted, so this year I’ll do better with my Bible reading or my time with the kids.” But, more times than not, whether it is a new diet or a commitment to faithful church attendance, at some point during the year, our resolve wanes.
Don’t get me wrong, resolutions can be great. I do them every year (whether I keep them or not). But the ritual of resolutions betrays something about the way Americans think about our lives. We think that our lives need to be a little better. If we change this or improve that, we will finally have the perfect life. But, we never confess that our lives need to be totally different. We don’t need improvement. We need redemption. So, true resolution isn’t just an aim towards betterment, but a deep, life-altering longing for radical change.
It is just such resolution that we find in our last woman of Christmas. This morning, we are going to look at the story of Anna, from Luke 2:36-38. From this passage I want you to see the Habits of the Resolved and the Hope of the Resolved.
First, let’s consider the habits of the resolved from verses 36-37. Anna’s story is set in the larger episode of Jesus’s dedication at the temple on the 8th day. After his birth, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple to be circumcised, and because he was the first born, a sacrifice was required for his life. While there, a group of Israelites begins to gather around the baby and his mother, starting with the old prophet, Simeon. It appears from the fulness of this text that there was a group of devout believers who waited faithfully at the temple for the new Messiah to come. Simeon, for one, had been promised by God that he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. So, when Jesus is brought in the Spirit leads Simeon to him and he rejoices.
Apparently, Anna is in this same group. We are told a number of things about Anna that point to her commitment in waiting for the Messiah. First, she is a prophetess. Now, there is no shortage of debate as to whether this means that Anna was a prophet or whether her husband was a prophet (because often women carried the title of their husbands). It was a very rare case that a woman would be a prophet, but it is not unheard of, so I lean towards believing that she is a prophet herself. Although prophecy had largely ceased after the destruction of the temple by Babylon and Judah’s captivity, God did not leave his people without guidance. So, Simeon and Anna are examples of faithful preachers who spent every day in the temple, reminding people of the promise of the coming Messiah.
Second, we are told that Anna is “advanced in years”. Again, there is some debate over how old Anna was. It says that she was married for seven years, and then her husband died, and then widowed for 84 years. The question is, does the text mean that she was widowed around the age of 20 and then a widow for 84 more years (which would make her 104 years old), or does it mean that she is 84 years old? In either case, she’s no spring chicken. And, this note about her age ties directly into our theme of the women of Christmas. Age has been a factor in three of the women we’ve considered (Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary). Whether you are too old or too young, age can be a limiting factor. It limits our abilities to participate fully in society. It restricts our movement and takes away simple pleasures. And, as Americans, we certainly view age as a negative thing. We value the young and vibrant, and we try to hide or delay the old and feeble. But, age isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, in Scripture, age is promoted as a sign of wisdom, honor, and commitment. It is with just such respect that we should view Anna’s age. Anna had been committed to her calling for some 84 years. Her husband had died when she was young, and she had never remarried. It is likely the case that the temple took her in to serve as a music director during worship. It was a common practice for widowed women to serve in this way, going throughout the temple and leading different groups in the singing or recitation of a psalm. She’d committed herself, even at the age of 20, to serve in that way, and had done so faithfully all of those years.
Lastly, notice that her commitment went even beyond her calling as a prophetess and worship leader. In verse 37, it says that she didn’t depart the temple and spent her days worshiping, fasting, and praying. Now, when it says she didn’t depart, this is likely hyperbole, but in any case the point is that she could be found there at all hours of the day. She was consistent in her devotion. And, she went above and beyond what would be expected of her position. She fasted and prayed. This wasn’t a job to her. She wasn’t committed because she got food and clothing and shelter from it. She loved the Lord and believed every word that she proclaimed.
That brings me to my second point – the hope of the resolved. In verse 38, we are told that she comes up to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus at the moment that Simeon is prophesying about him, and she begins to thank God and tell everyone who was waiting for the Messiah to come. Here we find the hope behind Anna’s resolution. She was waiting for redemption. She was waiting for the day when God would begin to set things right in this world. She was waiting for the promised Messiah who would break down every power and authority set against God and would save his people. She looked at the little baby Jesus, and she fully realized this hope.
You see, true resolution, true repentance, true saving faith, looks like long, faithful waiting. We find this reality in the parables of Jesus. In Matt. 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins who were tasked with waiting on their bridegroom. They were to keep their lamps burning as they waited on him to come. The lamps symbolize the endurance of faith that we are called to have as we wait on the return of Christ. In Revelation 2-3, in Jesus’s warnings to the seven churches, we read a common statement: “to the one who conquers/endures…” Jesus’s repeated reminder in that statement is that true, saving faith, is one that endures, one that perseveres.
Understand, a resolved life is not one that commits to personal betterment for a few months, and true saving faith is not just an emotional decision at one point in time. True saving faith is a life of commitment to the hope of the Gospel. It is a life set on Jesus, placing all of the chips on him. May we live as Anna, fully resolved to endure in hope for the redemption of the world.
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