There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty- four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-8).

When Deborah and I were married, almost ten years ago now, it was Jeanette Smitt who
arranged the luncheon at Union Church. It was a very simple affair, cold-cut sandwiches
and a cake, but it was done with such love and received with the same.
    The truth is that there were a lot of very special people who were really there for
us at that crucial time, making it possible. One day, not long before the big day, our
church administrator was asking me about how things were going. I told him that it was
all rather overwhelming and that half the time I didn't know if I was coming or going.
What he said to me has remained with me as a beautiful image of the way the Lord would
have us care for one another. He said, “Darren, we're going to have a wedding here on
the 16th; all you have to do is show up.”
    Jeanette, too, is a lot like the prophetess Anna: she never leaves the church. She
is also a widow and is something of a surrogate grandmother to the many of us who are
away from our families. It is out of mind, the number of different committees she has
been on over the years (she served as a Deacon during the time that I was secretary and
then chair) and is always front and center in the Fellowship Hall, serving coffee and
snacks on Sunday. Also like Anna, we will probably never have the first idea of all that
she has done for the Lord, sharing her simple story with those looking forward to
redemption.
    Every church has an Anna (or a Simeon); someone who always seems to be there
before anyone else and always seems to be among the last of those to leave. She's
probably more comfortable in the kitchen than she could ever be behind the pulpit, and
sometimes we use the saying of Jesus to Martha to disparage the business of her faith.
    But there is a striking phrase in this brief passage; it says that “at that very
moment” when the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel was being realized, she came
up to Mary and Joseph and the baby. I've often wondered why the Gospel writer so
emphasizes this phrase, “at that very moment.” But it begins to make sense to me when I
think about it in reference to Jeanette's ministry.
    There is something eminently “momentary” about great happenings—and the
thing is that many of us allow these moments to pass by unnoticed because we are not
always at the temple. There is something very prophetic that I would like to point out
about faithful service—it says in effect, “I expect the Lord to be here among us today.”
    For pointing our attention to the presence of Christ in our midst I am very grateful
to Jeannette and all of our faithful “prophetesses.” So it gave me great pleasure, this last
Christmas, to find out that Jeanette was asked to play the role of Anna in our Christmas
Eve tableau (I played the shepherd). Another prophetic ministry, one of our council
members Haruya Koide caught this wonderful moment of prayer on film. I offer it to you
here in the way of “giving thanks to God and speaking about the child to all who are
looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

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