Sanctuary Foundation Advent Devotional Day 22
Maybe you have experienced a great loss in your life. As Christmas approaches you feel that loss most keenly. As the family gathers around the Christmas table, you miss the one who is no longer there. Sometimes Christmas can feel like the cruellest time of the year.
Maybe that is why God includes Anna in the Christmas story. We know little about her, except that she had loved for a short time and then lived with loss for many years.
The temple was her sanctuary – the place where she chose a life of devotion to God over a life of bitterness. And that’s where she happened to be when Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus came into the temple.
“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.”
This is God’s gift to Anna, an old lady who seemed to have nothing left to live for. Suddenly she is no longer defined what she has lost, but by what she has gained, not by what she had, but by what she still had to give.
Thank you
Krish Kandiah
Director, Sanctuary Foundation
Thank you for joining us on this Season of Sanctuary Advent Journey looking at the themes of welcome and hospitality that lie at the heart of the Christmas story. As you prepare your hearts and homes for Christmas, please consider opening doors of hope for those around you. For more inspiration and information please visit www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk