anna's routine @ christmas

In the hurry and jostle of Christmas, I wonder what Anna's normal day consisted of - and whether or not the "important people" even noticed.

A elderly woman known as one who spoke of deliverance for her people. Widowed at a young age, from a family line that knew all about displacement, Anna's reputation for prayer and fasting was perhaps admired by some, and ignored by others.

She held a deep anticipation for the awaited Messiah, and she had aligned her life around the agenda of God's timetable. In the jostle of temple life, Anna saw through the illusion of religious practice and the need to please the right people. Somehow, she was able to recognise the presence of God - cradled in the arms of an unsuspecting and frightened young couple.

"Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38)

Probably viewed as little threat to religious and political powers, Anna carried a story and perspective that would undo the institutionalised and regather the dispossessed.

Her story in the midst of the "first Christmas" narrative invites me to:
- consider my priorities in the hurry;
- notice God's presence amongst the jostle;
- and tell the story of deliverance in the face of potentially remaining unnoticed.