“At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
My family’s Christmas tree has been up since the first week of November. It’s a tradition we started several years ago, and to those of you who might scoff at our early holiday displays, we will bake you a gingerbread man and hand you a potted poinsettia. We just can’t wait for Christmas!
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of two faithful souls who, when we first meet them, are waiting patiently for the Messiah. Simeon was an elderly man who had been promised he wouldn’t die before seeing Jesus. Anna was a prophetess who served the Lord all day and all night in the temple.
Scripture doesn’t tell us Anna had received the direct promise that Simeon had, but her constant fasting and praying indicates she was a person full of faith. And when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple, we hear first from Simeon, praising God for a promise fulfilled. “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace as you promised,” he prays, “for my eyes have seen your salvation.”
Closely on his heels is Anna, ready “at that very moment,” Luke says, with her own word of worship and hope to everyone looking forward to the redemption Jesus would bring.
Anna’s service had prepared her heart to have the right response to Jesus. What could be better than immediate acknowledgement that this was Immanuel, God with us. And yet, had Anna spent her time doing something other than waiting expectantly for Jesus, we might not get to read this sweet reminder of the power of faithful waiting.
Her example makes me think about whether my pre-Christmas activities include waiting for the Lord, expecting his presence. In my shopping and wrapping and decorating, is there still waiting to be done, and done faithfully, in a way that produces a powerful testimony at the moment Christ is revealed?
When Christmas is finally here, is my response one of relief, that the waiting is finally over? Or of letdown, like a kid who has unwrapped dozens of gifts and still not opened quite what they’d hoped for?
Or is my response one of joy? Christ has come. We have waited, and he’s here. Our eyes have seen his salvation.
Meredith Day Flynn is a wife and mother of two living in Springfield. She writes on the intersection of faith, family, and current culture.