Reflections on "Anna: Waiting in the Shadows"

Not much to add to the sermon. I think this is going to be an engaging sermon series, at least for me!

“Anna – in the Shadows” January 9, 2011; Luke 2; Women series

Introduction: Today begins a series of sermons reflecting on different women in the biblical texts, and perhaps at some point in the next couple of months, we may also hear from some women who were important to our denomination and in the life of this congregation.

I have a confession to make – I am not a woman.

Among other things, that means you will hear about these woman as interpreted through my male lens. I can't do much about that, but I will try to be informed by other voices and other perspectives than my own as I prepare my sermons.

Two things to note about this preaching series: I am intentionally trying to reflect on some less prominent women in the biblical text. Most of us can list a few prominent women – Ruth, Esther, Mary, the mother of Joseph, and probably a few more. I want to hear the voices of some of the other women in the text.

Secondly, in many ways women have been left in the shadows of the biblical text and of church history. Not because they have been unimportant, but because the power brokers and the storytellers have usually been men. I hope that we can see some of these women emerge from the shadows in the coming weeks.

Move 1: the gospel of Luke, and its companion volume Acts, have some pretty dramatic announcements of who Jesus is.

a. some of those making the announcements are even women.

1.AS Luke tells the birth narrative, he focuses on Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

2.This is in sharp contrast to the Gospel of Matthew – reread the birth story in Matthew and you leave thinking that the only people that mattered were Joseph, King Herod and the wise men.

3.But Luke has the beautiful, poetic speech of Mary that we now know as the Magnificat.
b. And there are angels from heavens bursting out with “glorias” to announce the birth of Christ.

c. And shepherds travel through the night to come and see this baby and confirm that the Messiah has arrived.

c.In the passage we read this morning, Simeon, the priest in the temple, makes a dramatic announcement as well.

1.I can see him center stage as the priest might be sharing with everyone that he can now die because the Messiah God has promised has arrived.

2.We see Simeon going over to Mary and Joseph and sharing with them this great news.

3.Surely, those gathered were in awe at what the priest was announcing and his conversation with Jesus' parents gave them much to talk about.

d. And then, as the story comes to a close, with no dramatic announcement, Anna, the prophet, praises God and begins to tell people who are wondering about the redemption of Jerusalem that the Messiah has arrived.

Move 2: Anna

a. Her husband had died.

1.she would probably have been encouraged to get remarried, in part so that she could have kids.

2.But she chooses not to get married.

3.So there she is – a widowed woman with no children in a society that defines and identifies women through their husbands first, and then through their male sons.

4. In the power hierarchy of the world in which she lives, she, a widowed, old, barren women is down at the lowest rung with the orphans.

b. Anna has chosen a different path.

1.She stays in the temple day and night, fasting praying and worshiping God.

2.I suspect at times some of the others laughed about the old lady who is always there praying in the temple. She has no life.

3.But, I also imagine that some admired her persistent prayer.

4.Certainly, over time she became like part of the woodwork of the temple. Always there.

5.We do not know the circumstances of her presence in the temple, but we know that she was there and had been there for a long time.

c. And we know that on the day Jesus is brought to the temple for the customary rites, she recognizes who he is an begins to tell the people there about him.

1.No dramatic pronouncement.

2.Just Anna, probably off in the wings of the temple, sharing what she knows about the young boy begin presented in the temple.

3. Anna, just doing her thing with little fanfare.

Move 2: What do we learn about discipleship from Anna?

a. patient faith.

1.She'd been waiting a long time.

2. But she kept waiting.

3.surely she must have wondered at times why she kept waiting.

4. But she kept waiting.

5. She kept praying.

6. She kept fasting.

7. She kept worshiping.

8. how easily it is to give up, to decide God is not going to do what we think God ought to do, so we give up.

9. not Anna.

b. Kept looking for the Messiah.

1. in the midst of the distractions of the world passing by, Anna maintained her focus on looking for the one who was coming to redeem Jerusalem.

2. We live in a world where we multi-task and have many distractions.
3. Anna reminds us of the singular focus needed to see Christ in the midst of those distractions.

4. It is easy to miss God in our midst – Our busy lives, our preconceived notions about God, our inability to comprehend what God is doing – we easily miss God because we are not looking at the right time and the right place.

5. Not Anna – she kept her focus.

c. Tell the story.

1. I love the way Luke simply says, “she began to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

2. No Peter speaking to the crowds or debating on Christ's behalf.

3. Merely telling the story about the Christ-child.

4. Reminded of some advice a wise mentor gave me when I left for KY. First few months preach old sermons; use that time to visit people.

And don't forget the “little old ladies” – the ones who love the church; the ones who have spent their lives supporting the church; visit them and let them know that you care about the church as well. Let them tell your story.

I well remember the little old lady I visited in my first week. Didn't think much about the visit, except she was a nice lady. She didn't get out much anymore, but she'd been in the church forever.

From that visit on, I do not think I visited another house or person where they didn't say somewhere in the conversations, 'I was talking to so and so the other day, and she ...” I'm not sure if she intentionally called everyone in the church directory, but it seemed as if she did.

She had a story to tell.

Anna's story was a bit more important than the story about the new minister, but I learned to have tremendous respect and appreciation for women like Anna who tell the story.

Conclusion: Anna, waiting in the shadows, has much to teach us about discipleship.