THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 14, 2014
Text: Luke 2:36-38, “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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.”
Devotional: The first Sunday of Advent we met Simeon, a devout man who announced that Jesus was to be the "salvation of Israel." This week, we meet Anna. She was a prophetess. Her announcement about Jesus was that he was the redemption of Jerusalem. These two themes walk hand in hand. We are saved because Jesus is our redeemer. We, all men and women, have a debt that we can never hope to pay. Because of that debt, we have been sold, as it were, into slavery. That baby spoken of by Anna was going to pay that debt and redeem us.