Mary and Joseph took their baby, Jesus, to the Temple, presenting him to the Lord and offering the prescribed animal sacrifice.  First they heard surprising predictions from a godly man named Simeon.  Next they were met by an 84-year-old prophet named Anna.

Part of the description of Anna includes the words "married for only seven years." What is the significance of these words?  They suggest a struggle in her being widowed for many years.  They hint at the problems of a woman trying to cope without a husband in a time and culture when the married relationship was crucial both to a woman's sense of place in community and to many of her satisfactions in life.

The further description of Anna as 84 years old personalizes the struggle of a nation to hold onto the promise of God, spoken by some Hebrew prophets:  the coming of the Christ.  Who?  This long-awaited, God-inspired, God-empowered, people-saving, Jerusalem-freeing Christ (see Luke 4:16-20).  Anna recognized the baby Jesus as that Christ.  Epiphany!  She thanked God for that experience of enlightenment.

Then she shared her wonder with people who waited for God to set free Jerusalem (symbolizing the ruling powers (just as we say "Washington, London, Tokyo").

What does the story of Anna teach me?  It reminds me of a Quaker peace activist, Barbara Reynolds, who lived near us one year in Kobe, Japan, writing articles to make people around the world more aware of the dangers of nuclear weapons 

With her family, Barbara had sailed courageously into the weapons test zone in the Pacific Ocean to protest the dangers of radioactivity to many people.

Like Anna in the Temple, Barbara made her Christian witness to the God of peace who wants Jerusalem and the whole human family to be free of all nuclear weapons.

She has helped me in my mission talks about Japan to emphasize Japan's commitment to never make, store, or use nuclear weapons.

Do you know someone who is an "Anna" today?  What difference has she (or he) made in your life? 

How much more good could be achieved if you asked God to help you to take that person's witness more seriously?

What do we need to do to prepare ourselves to really see Christ Jesus today?  May God bless us with eyes of faith.