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Brooksyne Weber
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Wednesday,
December 28, 2022
"Anna"
Message
summary:
As
we recognize
the
comprehensive
redemption
plan of the
Baby that Anna
beheld let us
wholeheartedly
worship and
serve Him
today.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"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 [Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus] 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 2:36-38).
My
(Stephen's)
first
recollection
of a person
with the name
Anna was my
grandpa’s
older sister
whom we all
called Aunt
Anna. She
lived in the
tiny town of
Harwood,
Missouri and
although I
don’t remember
much about
her, I
remember that
she was famous
for her
delicious
sugar cookies.
I’ve known
several other
Annas since
that time
including my
cousin Anna
Lee, our good
friend Anna
Ruth, and also
other Annas in
our area, but
Aunt Anna most
aligns with
the
description of
Anna in
today’s
passage, since
I only
remember her
as an older
widow in her
eighties.
Today we will study the only person named Anna in the Bible. Anna is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hannah, both of which mean "grace".
Anna
was the second
of two
faithful
believers who,
along with
Simeon,
encountered
the Messiah
after His
birth at His
consecration
in the temple.
Anna had been
married only
seven years
before she
became a
widow. She
could have
been a bitter
person but
Luke described
Anna as an 84
year old
prophetess who
fully
dedicated her
life to God,
who "never
left the
temple, but
worshiped
night and day,
fasting and
praying".
From Luke's description it sounds like Anna didn't take a personal day off in her ministerial role at the temple. She must have been a very interesting person! Somehow when I read this description I form a mental image of her as possibly a rather eccentric woman, perhaps with a charismatic sort of personality. Or she might have been a very meek and quiet woman. Over the years I have learned to value the various contributions many types of believers make to the Body of Christ. I'm sure glad we are not all the same!
She
first "gave
thanks to God"
as she
encountered
the holy
family.
Apparently she
was in such
rich communion
with God that
she knew this
was no
ordinary
family or
baby. She may
have also
witnessed
the exchange
that had just
taken place
with Simeon
which was
recorded in
the previous
portion of
Scripture as
depicted in
the image we
use today at
the top.
She then "spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem". The specific content of her words are not recorded for us, but it relates to our Lord’s redemptive work. Like Simeon, it is doubtful that Anna lived to see Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross.
Today let us, like Anna, also thank God for the gift of His Son and let us faithfully speak "about the Child" who became the Savior of the world. As we focus on the wonder of the Christmas story, remember; this Baby was born to die for our sins. As we recognize the comprehensive redemption plan of the Baby that Anna beheld let us wholeheartedly worship and serve Him today.
"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 [Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus] 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 2:36-38).
My
(Stephen's)
first
recollection
of a person
with the name
Anna was my
grandpa’s
older sister
whom we all
called Aunt
Anna. She
lived in the
tiny town of
Harwood,
Missouri and
although I
don’t remember
much about
her, I
remember that
she was famous
for her
delicious
sugar cookies.
I’ve known
several other
Annas since
that time
including my
cousin Anna
Lee, our good
friend Anna
Ruth, and also
other Annas in
our area, but
Aunt Anna most
aligns with
the
description of
Anna in
today’s
passage, since
I only
remember her
as an older
widow in her
eighties.Today we will study the only person named Anna in the Bible. Anna is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hannah, both of which mean "grace".
Anna
was the second
of two
faithful
believers who,
along with
Simeon,
encountered
the Messiah
after His
birth at His
consecration
in the temple.
Anna had been
married only
seven years
before she
became a
widow. She
could have
been a bitter
person but
Luke described
Anna as an 84
year old
prophetess who
fully
dedicated her
life to God,
who "never
left the
temple, but
worshiped
night and day,
fasting and
praying".From Luke's description it sounds like Anna didn't take a personal day off in her ministerial role at the temple. She must have been a very interesting person! Somehow when I read this description I form a mental image of her as possibly a rather eccentric woman, perhaps with a charismatic sort of personality. Or she might have been a very meek and quiet woman. Over the years I have learned to value the various contributions many types of believers make to the Body of Christ. I'm sure glad we are not all the same!
She
first "gave
thanks to God"
as she
encountered
the holy
family.
Apparently she
was in such
rich communion
with God that
she knew this
was no
ordinary
family or
baby. She may
have also
witnessed
the exchange
that had just
taken place
with Simeon
which was
recorded in
the previous
portion of
Scripture as
depicted in
the image we
use today at
the top.She then "spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem". The specific content of her words are not recorded for us, but it relates to our Lord’s redemptive work. Like Simeon, it is doubtful that Anna lived to see Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross.
Today let us, like Anna, also thank God for the gift of His Son and let us faithfully speak "about the Child" who became the Savior of the world. As we focus on the wonder of the Christmas story, remember; this Baby was born to die for our sins. As we recognize the comprehensive redemption plan of the Baby that Anna beheld let us wholeheartedly worship and serve Him today.
Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we
read of the
aged widow and
prophetess,
Anna, who
praised You in
the temple
upon the
blessed
arrival of the
Christ Child.
She was
satisfied and
overjoyed that
prophecy was
now fulfilled
making the
future
brighter than
ever. As Anna
met up with
the couple
holding the
Baby, she gave
thanks and
spoke about
Him to
all who were
looking
forward to the
redemption of
Jerusalem. She
is an
inspiring
example to
believers that
we need to
share the
redemption
story with all
who are
without Christ
so that they
too can
thoroughly
enjoy the full
scope of His
redemption.
Freely we have
received, so
now we freely
give in the
matchless name
of Jesus.
Amen.Brooksyne’s Note: One of the things I enjoy about the study of Anna is that her story reminds me of how people of all ages were touched by the Christmas story. From the tiny Baby in the manger, the young virgin and her youthful husband, the shepherds and wisemen representing men of various ages, to Elizabeth and Zechariah who were beyond child bearing years, and then Anna and Simeon who were nearing the century mark. The angels bearing the good news also represented the eternal aspect of our miraculous Christmas story. How wonderful that people of all ages, the very young and the very old, are all included in the full scope of Christ’s redemption plan, then and now.
Musser
and Anna Forry
shortly before
their 65th wedding
anniversary.
Remembering
another Anna:
As we were
writing about
Anna the
prophetess and
the many other
Annas we know
personally we
also
considered
Anna Forry,
our friend for
nearly 22
years since we
moved to this
area. She was
among the
first to
welcome us
into the
congregation.
Her life story
inspired us
and her
beautiful
spirit was a
model for all
who observed
her life. She
and her
husband were
farmers and
they invited
us to their
home for
dinner. Not
only was it a
plenteous
spread of
delicious
food, as is
typical when
prepared by a
farmer's wife,
but she did
two things I
hadn't seen
before that
evening. She
brought out
all the warm
food on a
rolling tray
and placed it
on the table.
After each of
us filled our
dishes she
collected all
the serving
bowls and
placed them
back into the
oven. After we
had emptied
our plates she
once again
brought out
the loaded
cart so we
could have
second
helpings, just
as hot as the
first time we
filled our
plates. I like
my food hot so
it was an
extra step she
took to make
our food as
piping hot and
delicious as
the first
helping.
Secondly,
after she
served us pie
for dessert
she passed a
large bowl of
ice cream
around the
table. She had
pre-scooped
the ice cream
into round
balls and all
we had to do
was use the
large serving
spoon to scoop
out our dip of
ice cream.
Afterwards it
went right
back into the
freezer until
offered the
second time
around for
anyone
interested.
Anna was quite
thoughtful and
purposeful in
helping others
have a
wonderful
time.
Anna died on December 19th at 92 years of age. Musser, her husband, died several years earlier. We include her obituary because she wrote it before her death which makes for an interesting read even if you didn't know her, though a good number of our readers do. We will share another story in a few weeks about Anna and Musser that really touched our hearts.
Anna died on December 19th at 92 years of age. Musser, her husband, died several years earlier. We include her obituary because she wrote it before her death which makes for an interesting read even if you didn't know her, though a good number of our readers do. We will share another story in a few weeks about Anna and Musser that really touched our hearts.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental
Resources
Last
night we
joined our
friends Phil
and Donna
Huber for
dinner at
Guss's Diner.
Phil is the
general
manager at
Audrey's and
we see him
just about
every week but
only visit
with his wife,
Donna, at the
annual
Christmas
banquet. So it
was a special
delight to
accept their
invitation to
dinner last
evening, eat
some good food
from Gus', our
local
restaurant,
and enjoy good
conversation
about family,
work, and the
things of the
Lord.
The
Amish farms in
Lancaster
County have
lots of
buildings
including a Dawdy
Haus and
in many cases
host several
generations.
It is not
unusual in the
Amish culture
for several
generations to
live together
on one
property
forming strong
family ties.
Grandparents
help with
grandchildren
and then, as
time goes by,
roles often
reverse and it
is the younger
generations
looking out
for the
grandparents.
Click
to enlarge
Special
Year-end
Financial
Appeal
We
want to thank
all who have
financially
supported our
ministry this
past year (and
some for many
years!). Like
most
ministries, we
typically see
a spike in
giving at the
end of the
year for which
we are most
thankful. We
realize there
are many fine
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causes
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this time but
if you would
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information
about making a
donation to
our ministry
see here.
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
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&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
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IN SPECIALIZED
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
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you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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