PrintToday's "Learning with Luke" (9)
30 December, 2012
Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was very old. She was a widow, for her husband had died when they had been married only seven years. She was now eighty-four years old. (Luke 2:36-37 NLT)
I'm probably being most unfair to Anna but for reasons that I can't explain she strikes me as being just a touch on the eccentric side. Consider the details that Luke supplies.First he notes her age - she is 84 years old. Then he mentions that Anna and her husband had only 7 years of married life before death made her a widow. Then Luke points out that she never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
Now I live in a retirement village and all of our residents are delightful people (well, just about all of them!) We have our share of eccentrics; people who are just a 'touch of centre'. But the people I know who might qualify for this title are eccentric in ways that make them precious and challenging. I think of Anna in those terms.
Her devotion, when compared to the rest of us, was deep, consistent and challenging. It compelled her to witness spontaneously. "....she talked about Jesus to everyone.." Now that's eccentric!! And may her tribe increase.
I think that all the above factors contributed to make her a 'quaint saint'. Any church that doesn't have a few of these quaint saints is impoverished. They seem to turn up at just the right time, say just the right thing and go on their way rejoicing.
Now that's quaint.
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