O Come All Ye Faithful!

 

O come, all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
O come and behold Him, born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

            “O Come All Ye Faithful” is probably one of our most cherished Christmas songs.  It takes us to that small village called Bethlehem and reminds us that the baby in that manger was the King, Christ the Lord.  It also calls us to not just be faithful but to truly “adore” Him.

            One person who not only “adored” her Savior but was faithful to her God, was Anna.  Her story is found in Luke 2: 36 – 38.  From those few short verses, we learn that she was a prophetess, a spokesman for God.  Her name means favor or grace.  Scholars are unsure of her age.  She may have been 84 or 104, but there’s no doubt that she was old and had spent most of her life as a widow.

            The Scripture says that “she never left the temple” so she may have had living quarters somewhere within the temple.  Perhaps most importantly, she “worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”

            She is an example of both faithfulness and what it means to “adore” our Savior.  There is no indication of any bitterness in her life even though it had probably not turned out like she had expected.  She had no husband and no children, two conditions that would make her very vulnerable in that culture, but it didn’t stop her from praising God. We don’t know how she supported herself financially but since God was her focus, she probably didn’t need much.

            When Mary and Joseph showed up at the temple with Baby Jesus, just like Simeon, she knew immediately who He was.  She gave thanks to God and then started spreading the Word.  God chose this old woman, with no family and probably forgotten or largely ignored by most people, to be the first woman, other than Mary, to lay eyes on the Messiah.  He also chose her to be one of the first missionaries and she began to tell everyone about this Child. 

            Anna was faithful and she adored her God!  Her story tells us a lot about God.  He uses people of all ages.  No one is too old to worship and adore our Savior!  He blesses those who are faithful, and He makes Himself known to those who seek Him. 

            I pray that this Christmas season, we will each take time to “adore” our risen Savior and that we will be faithful to Him, no matter our circumstances.  He knows what we need even before we ask, so may we come to Him “faithful, joyful and triumphant”!

Acts 2: 36 -38

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