ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR
“Lead us this day, Lord Christ, that we might walk its paths in the light of the hope of our coming redemption. Amen.”[i]
As we move through the season of Advent, which literally means “coming forward,” we remember that God’s chosen people once waited for our Redeemer to come and now await His final return. Advent is a season of waiting. What indeed does it look like to walk the paths of each day “in the light of the hope of our coming redemption”? Anna, the prophetess and widow of Luke 2:36-38, shows us the way.
When we meet her in Luke 2, Anna is an older woman, either 84 or 104.[ii] Widowed as a young woman, probably around the age of 20, and apparently childless, Anna had no means to support herself. She likely became a recipient of Ancient Near Eastern welfare, moving near the temple, where she could access food and shelter.
Despite her many losses, Anna avoided the secondary suffering that can add to affliction—she refused to indulge in self-pity. Instead, she devoted her life to waiting for redemption. Over time, she became known as a prophetess, someone who delivers messages from God. As we study how Anna spent her days, we discover a compelling portrait for walking each day in the hope of redemption. Anna shows us how to wait for our returning Redeemer who will one day come to restore all broken things…
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