Grandma Anna

27 March 2014

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And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. - Luke 2:36-38

anna

As soon as Grandpa Simeon finished his testimony about the Christ, another elderly but devoted child of God steps in to celebrate the child. It was Grandma Anna.

The age for the Jewish Batmizphah is around 12 or 13 years old. This is the age when Jewish custom declares a girl becomes a full member of the Jewish community and is responsible for her physical and moral actions. This is the "age" at which Luke records her virginity.  If she was married at this age, she was then made a widow around age 20. Luke then records that she had been a widow for 84 years. According to these numbers, Anna was at least 104 years old!

Grandma Anna is a remarkable testimony of devotion to God. Rather than become bitter because she was widowed at such a young age, she devotes herself to God all the more.

When Luke says that she "departed not from the temple," I think he meant that literally. We do not know exactly where Anna slept each night, but we do have evidence here that it was in or very near the temple.

Her devotion was blessed by God just as Simeon's was. She was able to view the Messiah before she died. She had lost her natural husband many years before. But she now saw her eternal Bridegroom and was able to celebrate His coming into the world!

We have thus far seen three excellent examples of devotion to God.

  1. 1. Mary and Joseph are extremely poor, but they did not let their poverty interfere with their love and devotion to God.

  2. 2. Simeon was an old man but he followed the Spirit of God and was blessed to see the Messiah before he passed away.

  3. 3. Anna, even though she was widowed very young, remained faithful to God.

The lesson we should glean from these examples is that nothing should come before our worship to God, and nothing should be used as an excuse for not attending to regular worship of the King of kings!

Tags: anna, devotion, family, harmony_of_the_gospels, luke, simeon

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.

Living in Liberty

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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