December 30: Anna Gives Thanks for Her Redeemer
♫ Music:
Day 33 - Thursday, December 30
Title: ANNA GIVES THANKS FOR HER REDEEMER
Scripture: Luke 2:36-38
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Poetry:
First Coming
by Madeleine L’Engle
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
HOLDING HOPE
Faded eyes catch sight of newborn Hope. Withered arms tenderly clutch a bundle of fresh-birthed Joy.
Though her words are not recorded, God has preserved her name in the annals of history: Anna, daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. Childless and widowed far too young, she could have followed in the footsteps of her fore-bearer Naomi, giving in to bitterness over how life had treated her. Who would care for her? Who would uphold her honor and carry on her family name? Surely questions of survival had plagued her mind. Surely shaming comments had reached her ears. Perhaps these tempted her to an array of responses: paralyzing despair, self-pitying victimhood, or even self-reliant survival. But this widow repeatedly made the choice to “put her hope in God and continue night and day to pray and ask God for help” (1 Tim. 5:5).
Days turned into weeks, weeks into years, and years into decades. For what did Anna hope—the next day’s meal? Shelter for one more night? Perhaps she hoped for a better world in which widows were empowered, barren women settled as happy mothers in their own homes (Ps. 113:9, Is. 54:1-5), husbands lived out their years, and everyone had plenty to eat. As this persistent widow cried out to God for her own needs day after day, her heart expanded to take in the needs of a weary world. She, like Simeon, was waiting for the consolation of Israel. She was watching for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Hope deferred wears a heart out (Prov. 13:12), yet Anna held on to hope for a lifetime. She did not see an end to poverty or hunger, but she did see God’s provision of “enough” for each day. This daily encounter with need and provision trained her eyes to look beyond the crumbs offered and adore the Hand that held them. Though it could not have come automatically or easily, Anna held unswervingly to the hope she professed, because she saw the faithfulness of Him who had promised more (Heb. 10:23).
Anna did not wait until the world was sane to raise her song with a joyful voice. Rather, she offered her worship in the temple day and night, playing her small but irreplaceable part in the coming of God’s Kingdom. Ready and waiting, this aged “bridesmaid” recognized the day of her Lord’s coming. Her lantern of hope cast rays of comfort on her fellow watchers and offered assurance to a young couple of parents just embarking on their own perilous journey of faith.
Anna’s persevering hope was rewarded with a wiggling baby in her arms. At last she could join Naomi in the unexpected delight of holding her Infant-Redeemer, the King who had come to set her world right. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given.
So do not throw away your confidence: it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Heb. 10:35-36).
Prayer:
Lord, hold on to hope for us when the waiting stretches on and your response remains unseen. Widen our hope to encompass the sighs of those around us. Renew our hope through your daily provision of enough. And reward our hope with the full measure of all you desire to give us.
Amen.
Devotion Author:
Tiffany Clark
Author and Adjunct Professor
Global Leadership Consultant with Development Associates International
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Woman and Child
Sam Jinks
2010
Silicone, silk, human hair, acrylic, nylon, polyurethane foam, timber
145 x 40 x 40 cm
Shepparton Art Museum
Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne-based artist Sam Jinks creates figurative hyper-realistic sculptures using silicone, latex, and resin. The appeal of the work lies in the ways in which viewers are able to project themselves and others onto these sculpted bodies. Jinks created this work at a time when his mother was suffering from a serious illness, and contemplations of mortality were never far from his mind. Constructed from silicone and human hair, the artist painstakingly inserted each individual hair, one by one, over the course of three months. The detail in the supple, pink skin on the infant contrasts strongly with the greyish, aged skin of the older woman. Though rendered realistically, the work is actually three-quarter life scale, giving the figures a delicate vulnerability that encourages the viewer to physically approach the work, inviting studied contemplation. Jinks is less interested in realism as an end in itself, and more interested in intimacy and the uncanny, exploring our relationship to ourselves, to our humanity, and to our mortality. Rather than producing perfect human specimens, he prefers subjects who are frail and vulnerable, yet more human and relatable as a result. Woman and Child is an intimate work that draws on our empathy to remind us of the rhythms and patterns of life.
https://gsam.melbourne.axiell.com/?record=ecatalogue.3390#:~:text=Melbourne%2Dbased%20artist%20Sam%20Jinks,using%20silicone%2C%20latex%20and%20resin.&text='Woman%20and%20Child'%20is%20an,the%20course%20of%20three%20months.
About the Artist:
Sam Jinks (b. 1973) is an Australian sculptor who creates lifelike but fragile figures using silicone, resin, calcium carbonate, fiberglass, and hair. Jinks’ work has been exhibited in Australia and internationally. Jinks began his career first by working as an illustrator, and then later learned about making sculptural works out of silicone and latex during a stint in the film industry. Jinks’ work is held in Australian and international collections including Ipswich Art Gallery, Brisbane; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Museo Escultura Figurativa Internacional Contemporánea (MEFIC), Portugal; McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park, Langwarrin; RMIT Gallery, Melbourne; Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton; and private collections. Jinks lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/a-matter-of-life-and-death-the-startling-lifelike-sculptures-of-sam-jinks-1.3939511
https://samjinks.com/nacht
About the Music:
“Hope” from the album Hope
Lyrics:
I come to sing a song about hope.
I’m not inspired much right now, but even so,
I came out here to sing a song. So here I go.
I guess I think
That if I tinker long enough, one might appear.
And look! It’s here.
One verse is done.
The work’s begun.
I come to sing a song about hope.
In spite of everything ridiculous and sad,
Though I’m beyond belief depressed, confused and mad,
Well – I got dressed.
I underestimated how much that would take.
I didn’t break
Until right now.
I sing of hope
And don’t know how.
So maybe I can substitute “strength,”
Because I’m strong.
I’m strong enough.
I got through lots of things I didn’t think I could,
And so did you.
I know that’s true.
And so we sing a song about hope.
Though I can’t guarantee there’s something real behind it,
I have to try to show my daughters I can find it,
And so today –
When life is crazy and impossible to bear –
It must be there.
Fear never wins.
That’s what I hope.
See? I said “hope.”
The work begins.
About the Performer:
Betty Buckley (b. 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. She also played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1994–96) in both London and New York, receiving a 1995 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include 1776 (1969), Pippin (1973), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985), and Hello, Dolly (2018-2019). Buckley starred in the TV series Eight Is Enough from 1977 to 1981. Her film credits include Carrie (1976), Tender Mercies (1983), Frantic (1988), Another Woman (1988), and The Happening (2008).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Buckley
About the Composer/Lyricist:
Jason Robert Brown (b. 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on Parade and The Bridges of Madison County.
He began his career in New York City as an arranger, conductor, and pianist, working on theatrical productions, and playing at several nightclubs and piano bars in the city. Songs for a New World marked the first major New York production of Brown's songs. An off-Broadway revue with a limited run, the show was directed by Daisy Prince, daughter of director/producer Hal Prince, and featured the twenty-five-year-old Brown's pop-rock-influenced music. The song "Stars and the Moon" has since become a cabaret standard, and is probably Brown's best-known composition to date. He also teaches courses in musical theatre performance and composition at the University of Southern California. Brown is an active performer of his own work, singing and playing the piano with or without his band, the Caucasian Rhythm Kings. Brown has many trademarks in his composing style, which is often rhythmically dynamic and harmonically unconventional, calling for a wide vocal range.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Robert_Brown
About the Poet:
Madeleine L’Engle (1918–2007) was an American writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including the beloved A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science. In addition to the numerous awards, medals, and prizes won by the books L'Engle wrote, she has personally received many honors over the years. These included being named an Associate Dame of Justice in the Venerable Order of Saint John (1972); the USM Medallion from The University of Southern Mississippi (1978); the Smith College Medal "for service to community or college which exemplifies the purposes of liberal arts education" (1981); the Sophia Award for distinction in her field (1984); the Regina Medal (1985); the ALAN Award for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature, presented by the National Council of Teachers of English (1987); and the Kerlan Award (1991). In addition, she received over a dozen honorary degrees from as many colleges and universities, such as Haverford College. Many of these name her as a Doctor of Humane Letters, but she also received a Doctorate of Literature and a Doctor of Sacred Theology at Berkeley Divinity School (1984). In 1995 she was writer-in-residence for Victoria Magazine. L'Engle received the annual Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1998. The Edwards Award recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." In 2004 she received the National Humanities Medal but could not attend the ceremony due to poor health. .In a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, A Wrinkle in Time was voted the best children's novel after Charlotte's Web.
https://www.madeleinelengle.com/madeleine-lengle/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_L'Engle
About the Devotion Author:
Tiffany Clark
Author and Adjunct Professor
Global Leadership Consultant with Development Associates International
Tiffany Clark (B.A., ICS) is an author, adjunct professor, and spiritual director, specializing in the ongoing spiritual formation of global Christian leaders. Tiffany and her family recently relocated to Washington, DC, after twenty years of service in South Asia. She continues to facilitate graduate courses and virtual workshops for Christian leaders around the world, and blogs at messytheology.wordpress.com.