There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years,There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
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… The next scene is with Anna, a prophetess, verse 36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, daughter of whatever, of the tribe of Asher. And she was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. And this woman was a widow of about 84 years who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all who looked for the redemption of Israel. All right, what happened here? We have a prophet, a prophetess, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Let me change the language a little bit. We have a prophet and a prophetess who recognized the king of all kings when he was an infant. It could be said that they recognized who it was because of the prophetic gifting, but I don't think so. I think their prophetic gifting was backed by their passionate prayers. And when you lean into something in prayer, it's much easier to recognize the answer in its infancy. …
… opposed, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was 84. She did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. We meet two characters here at the end of the Christmas story. one man and one woman, Simeon and Anna. And they share a number of similarities. I wonder if you noticed. First, they're both in the temple. Simeon comes into the temple. Luke says Anna never left the temple, not that she literally lived at the temple, but she was there daily. It was only the priests who could go into the holy place, but there were temple courtyard, and that's what's meant here. There was a court for women and that's where Anna was day after day. So they're both in the temple. Second, they're both old. Simeon, we assume, is old because he's been waiting his whole life and the Lord told him, it was revealed to him, you would see the Lord's Christ. …
We'll do three more verses. Now there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of however you say that name, the tribe of Asher, who was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. And this woman was a widow of about 84 years. Now some say she was 84 years at this point. Others say this actually indicates that she was a widow for 84 years after marriage, which would make her over 100 years old. She did not depart from the temple, but she served God with fastings and prayer night and day. And coming in that instant, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all who looked for the redemption of Israel. All right, here's the deal I want to talk to you about. Simeon and Anna I think, I mean I can't prove this, it's just an opinion, but I think are two of the most honored people in heaven. They lived in a time without the prophets. They lived in a time without the thundering displays of God's power. And yet they lived for one thing. Anna says she never left the temple. I don't know if people brought food to her. I don't know how that works. But the point is she was extremely devoted to one thing, which was what? That Israel would have a redeemer. That Israel would have vindication and restoration. That salvation would come to her people. She lived for that one thing. She got …
… The next scene is with Anna, a prophetess, verse 36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, daughter of whatever, of the tribe of Asher. And she was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. And this woman was a widow of about 84 years who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. In coming in that instant, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all who looked for the redemption of Israel. All right, what happened here? We have a prophet, a prophetess, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Let me change the language a little bit. We have a prophet and a prophetess who recognized the king of all kings when he was an infant. it could be said that they recognized who it was because of the prophetic gifting, but I don't think so. I think their prophetic gifting was backed by their passionate prayers. And when you lean into something in prayer, it's much easier to recognize the answer in its infancy. …
… I ask that you would stand with me. As we look at the scripture found in Luke chapter 2, verses 36 through 38. And it reads like this in the NRSB version. There was also a prophet. Anna, the daughter of Phanuyel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of 84. She never left the temple, but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 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. Before you go to your seats, I want to center your thoughts this morning around the significance of the insignificant. And I want you to turn to your neighbor and say, God responds to human devotion. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. In the tradition of prayer as our theme for the month of January, I want us to look at a woman who prayed and fasted day in and day out. …