Luke’s gospel tells of Joseph and Mary taking the newborn Jesus to the temple, where they meet Anna. Luke writes: “There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age…. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38)
Would we even notice if Luke left Anna out of the story? Probably not. No other gospel writer mentions her. Yet, with one brief paragraph, Luke gives us a unique and inspiring story of how one woman participated in the gospel by acting boldly on her faith.
Whose stories are not being told in your family, your workplace, your congregation? Whose stories will you tell today?
This message is adapted from “Missing Paragraphs,” written by Emma Crossen for the February 2013 issue of Interchange.