Christmas

Check out all the previous Rest readings here.

Christmas Reading Plan | Week 4 Day 2

Prayer

Allow some silence for your soul to catch up with your body. Thank God for time to spend with Him and ask Him to meet with you.

Bible Reading: Luke 2:36-38

Read these verses three times slowly.

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, 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.

Reflection & Questions

While they are at the temple, Mary and Joseph and their baby Jesus are having incredible encounters. Today’s encounter with Anna is no less amazing.

Anna is a prophetess – she speaks on behalf of God. She has fully dedicated herself to the Lord and “never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” There is no doubt that she was a powerful woman of God and would have been well known in the community.

What is interesting about all these characters that Luke is telling us about in his gospel, is that the people reading it at the time could have gone to the temple and talked to them (or people who knew them, since it seems Anna had died at the time of his writing). In other words, Luke is allowing his readers to verify what he is saying by including their names. This is another link in the chain of trusting the Bible.

As Mary and Joseph bump into her in the temple courts, Anna says that this child will bring “the redemption of Jerusalem.” To redeem is to buy back or set free. Think of redemption of the slaves. What slavery or oppression was Jerusalem under that they needed redeeming from? The occupying Roman empire would certainly have come to mind first. But that is not why Jesus came. He came to free the people from slavery to sin. As much as the Roman seemed like a big problem to the Jews, sin was a far bigger problem. Jesus had come to release the Jews and the Gentiles from sin and give us freedom forever more!

1. There are a lot of problems in this world. Why is sin the biggest problem?
2. Do you consider yourself redeemed? Why or why not? What difference does it make in your day-to-day living?

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?