Waiting in the Hope of Coming Redemption: Walking with Our Sister Anna

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR “Lead us this day, Lord Christ, that we might walk its paths in the light of the hope of our coming redemption. Amen.”[i] As we move through the season of Advent, which literally means “coming forward,” we remember that God’s chosen people once waited for our Redeemer to come and now await His final return. Advent is a season of waiting. What indeed does it look like to walk the paths of each day “in the light of the hope of our coming redemption”? Anna, the prophetess and widow of Luke 2:36-38, shows us the way. When we meet her in Luke 2, Anna is an older woman, either 84 or 104.[ii] Widowed as a young woman, probably around the age of 20, and apparently childless, Anna had no means to support herself. She likely became a recipient of Ancient Near Eastern welfare, moving near the temple, where she could access food and shelter. Despite her many losses, Anna avoided the secondary suffering that can add to affliction—she refused to indulge in self-pity. Instead, she devoted her life to waiting for redemption. Over time, she became known as a prophetess, someone who delivers messages from God. As we study how Anna spent her days, we discover a compelling portrait for walking each day in the hope of redemption. Anna shows us how to wait for our returning Redeemer who will one day come to restore all broken things...

Waiting in the Hope of Coming Redemption: Walking with Our Sister Anna2025-11-28T15:27:35+00:00

Oh Holy Night

LAURA STORY|GUEST I remember as a young girl riding in the backseat of my parents’ station wagon as we drove the all-too-familiar two-hour trek to my grandparents’ house for Christmas. My dad usually worked at the hospital on Christmas Eve so we would rarely get on the road before dark. As we navigated the twists and turns of those North Georgia mountain roads, we could see the stars so clearly from the rear-facing, bucket seats. And anyone who grew up in the 80’s knows exactly what I’m talking about! That’s when Christmas began for me. And not just because of the amazing view of the starry host, but because of the soundtrack of carols that played on every backwoods station we could find on our FM radio. Yes, Christmas had finally arrived! Perhaps my all-time favorite of these carols was the classic, O Holy Night: O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth; Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth....

Oh Holy Night2023-03-24T17:45:49+00:00

The Greatest Pregnancy Reveal in History

LAURA BOOZ|GUEST The day I finally saw two pink lines on a pregnancy test, I held my breath. Could this be true? I wondered. My husband and I had trudged through two long years of infertility and were crushed by ghost lines, false positives, and dashed hopes. We longed for a child more than anything else.  On my way to work, I stopped by the doctor’s office for a blood test to confirm the pregnancy. The doctor told me to call in later for the results. I went through the motions of teaching poetry and grading papers, but all I could think about was the possibility that I was pregnant. At my first opportunity, I called the doctor’s office and I will never forget the nurse’s response as she looked over my results. She said, “Well it’s very early, but you are pregnant.” Later that day, I saw my husband. You’d think that after all those months of waiting, I would have done a dramatic pregnancy reveal with balloons and clever word play, but I was so shocked that I just blurted out, “I’m pregnant!” We sat together, amazed. We estimated that our baby was the size of the period at the end of this sentence and yet she was already our greatest joy. We talked about what our lives would look like as a mom and dad. We thanked God for granting our relentless request. And then we went to the store to buy the coziest baby blanket on the planet. Learning from Mary’s Pregnancy Reveal When Mary was newly pregnant and just arriving at the home of her cousin, Elizabeth, she did have a dramatic pregnancy reveal. Upon seeing the expectant Mary for the first time, Elizabeth felt her own baby (John) leap in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth exclaimed a blessing upon Mary that affirmed everything the angel had promised to her. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:42-45)...

The Greatest Pregnancy Reveal in History2022-05-04T23:51:24+00:00
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