Luke 2:22-40
So much for Christmas? Or, is Christmas the starting point that allows us to understand God's plan of love for our lives? The Scriptures present a narrative full of different nuances that point to the theme of joy experienced by all those who seek a personal encounter with Emmanuel-God with us.
The prophetess Anna, besides being an excellent model of life, teaches us the right direction to achieve God's plan. Hannah served the Lord night and day for a long time; showing that we are never too old to serve the Lord and that we should dedicate our lives to live for His purposes always. God will use our faithful service to Him, beyond what we can understand. There is no way to measure the blessings of Hannah's service, but we can say that it was spiritual service. We see it in her prayers; we see it in her fasting; it was sacrificial and sustained service. Hannah was surprised by the joy of the Lord (v.37). God loves to surprise us with his joy, and he can enter into the smallest things in life. But permanent joy comes from our intimate encounters with the Lord. God allows us to see his hand at work, in daily struggles, in sickness, in finances, in the church, in our loved ones.
The Christmas season is manifesting itself in all its splendor. It is up to us to give thanks to God for the birth of the Redeemer of the world and to communicate with words and actions that the light that once illuminated our path can also illuminate the lives of those who find themselves without faith and without hope. In this season and always, may we remember to stay close to the Lord even on "bad days"; to serve Him, in whatever ways we can; and to trust in His perfect plan. He will surprise us with His joy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Eternal Face of Immanuel "God with us"
Luke 2:22-40
Is Christmas just the end of the year? Or, is Christmas the starting point allowing us to understand God's plan of love for our lives? Scriptures present a narrative full of different nuances that point to the joy experienced in all those who seek a personal encounter with Immanuel-God with us.
The prophetess Anna, while being an excellent role model, also shows us the right path towards God's project. Anna served the Lord night and day for a long time; showing that one is never too old to serve the Lord and that we must dedicate our lives to live according to his plans always. God will use our faithful service to Him, beyond what we can understand. We have no way to measure the many blessings of Anna's service, yet we can affirm that it was a spiritual service. We see it in her prayers; we see it in her fasts; it was sacrificial and sustained service. Anna was surprised by the joy of the Lord (v.37). God likes to surprise us with His joy, and He gets even into the smallest things in life. However, permanent joy comes from intimate encounters with the Lord. God allows us to see His hand in our daily struggles, at work, in times of sickness, in our finances, at church, in our loved ones.
The Christmas season manifests itself in all its splendor. Let us thank God for the birth of the Redeemer of the world and, with our words and actions, tell others that the light that one day brightened our path can also brighten the lives of those who find themselves without faith and hope. That in this season and always, we remember to stay close to the Lord even in "bad days"; serve Him in all ways we can; and trust in His perfect plan. He will surprise us with His joy.
