Can Your Hopes Come True at Christmas?

Luke 2:36-40

INTRODUCTION

"Hidden Christmas" is a sermon series that invites us to discover the often-overlooked messages surrounding the birth of Christ. While the manger scene is central to our celebration, Scripture is filled with hidden gems that deepen our understanding of Christmas. From the prophetic whispers of the Old Testament to Elizabeth and Anna, these lesser-known stories reveal the richness of God’s plan for redemption. As we explore these stories, we’ll uncover profound truths about God’s love, faithfulness, and the transformative power of Christ’s coming into our world.

Have you experienced seasons in life where it seemed like life was one long winter of cold, snow-covered ground, trees with leafless branches, and constantly clouded skies with nothing to look forward to? No light of hope? Of course, we all have. As I say constantly, you’re either in a storm, just getting out of one, or a storm is on the horizon. All people thirst for hope in life. It is what keeps us going. Hope points to the light at the end when we are trapped in a tunnel of misery. When we are overworked and exhausted, hope gives us fresh energy. When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going. When we lose our way, and confusion blurs the destination, hope dulls the edge of panic. When we are forced to sit back and wait, hope gives us the patience to trust.

As Charles Swindoll wrote, “When life hurts and dreams fade, nothing helps like hope.” Webster defines hope as “Desire accompanied by expectation of, or belief in, fulfillment.” How vital is that expectation in hope? Without it, prisoners of war languish and die. Students get discouraged and drop out of school. Without this expectation, addicts return to their habits. Marriage partners decide to divorce. Inventors, artists, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and even preachers lose their creativity. You see, hope isn’t merely a nice option that helps us temporarily clear a hurdle that we encounter on life’s road. Hope is essential to our survival. Perhaps this is part of the wonder of Christmas, for the Christmas event reminds us that hopes can come true.

Today, I want us to read about a godly woman named Anna who held onto the hope that Jesus would be born for almost a century. By examining her life, I think we, too, will understand how hopes can come true at Christmas.

Luke 2:36–40 ESV

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS

Joseph and Mary have just brought Jesus to the temple eight days after His birth to be dedicated. On the way out, they are greeted by two senior adults who recognize Jesus as God’s Messiah. One of these is Simeon, and the other is Anna.

Verses 36-37

The description of Anna is impressive. She is from the tribe of Asher. Asher was one of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom. Asher is one of the lost tribes of Israel; that is, the tribe of Asher never came back from captivity in Assyria and Babylon. If you know the history of Israel’s northern kingdoms, you know they were deep into idolatry. There wasn’t one good king among them. There was a remnant of believing Jews in the northern kingdom who weren’t happy. Some wanted to be a part of the temple. So, there was a steady number of true believers migrating southward to the city of Jerusalem. They came to the south so that by the time the northern kingdom was taken into captivity, there were people from every tribe back in Jerusalem.

Anna is a godly woman. Furthermore, she is very old. Now, it is debated whether she was 84 years old or if 84 is the number of years she had been a widow. Either way, she is somewhere between 84 and 108. She’s old by any metric. Anna had been a widow for most of her life, never remarrying but instead focusing her attention on worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

Anna was devout, righteous, and a model for the believer. “Night and day” should probably not be pressed to mean twenty-four hours a day that she lived in the temple because women were not normally allowed to stay in the temple during the night. It is best, therefore, to interpret it in the popular sense of all the time. Her character and credentials serve to bolster her testimony.

Verse 38

Verse 38 highlights Anna recognizing the infant Jesus as the promised Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, Anna gives thanks to God and speaks about Jesus to all awaiting Jerusalem's redemption. This verse underscores themes of divine fulfillment, faithfulness, and hope. Anna represents those who remain steadfast and hopeful in worship and trust God’s promises. Her testimony aligns with the broader narrative of salvation in Christ, emphasizing that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s hope and the ultimate Redeemer for all who believe.

Verses 39-40

Mission accomplished, census enrollment completed, miraculous baby birthed, circumcision performed, name given, purification carried out, firstborn presented and dedicated, blessings and prophecies heard and stored away in amazement—the new family returned home to the obscurity of Nazareth, having done everything required by the Law. There where no one expected anything of significance to happen, the son of Mary and Joseph who was also the Son of God grew up in the ways all children do.

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

In Every Season of Life, Jesus is Our Hope.

APPLICATION

This passage offers a whole perspective on life and hope. Here are two people near the end of their life, still serving God full steam ahead. Hope is not a matter of age or energy level, nor is it dependent on circumstances. It is defined by an openness to wait for God and share him with others. Such a perspective calls for serious reflection.

The second prophetic witness in this section of Luke is Anna. She is merely introduced, and her career is summarized. In all likelihood, she is around a hundred years old, having faithfully served God with worship, prayer, and fasting for years. Sometimes, our most productive years in spiritual service for God come after our most productive years of earthly toil. She has given herself full-time to a ministry of intercession. Like Simeon, she hopes for “the redemption of Jerusalem.”

When her husband died, she didn’t give into despair but instead began a new life of working and waiting for the long-hoped-for Messiah. For many years, she hoped and believed the impossible would happen, that God’s promised Redeemer would come. Scripture says she was a prophetess of God. Her job description would read, “a spokesperson for the truths of God. Proclaimer of hope.” Verse 37 says, “She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” She loved her Lord, and she held on to her hopes.

Anna built her life on the hope of the coming Messiah, as described in scripture, but she was in the minority. Now, it wasn’t that other people in Israel didn’t expect a Messiah. A majority of the people of Israel hoped God would send His promised deliverer, but they put their hope in the wrong kind of deliverer.

The Pharisees, for example, believed in a great king of David’s line who would revive all the glories of the past, free them from Roman bondage, and restore the people of Israel as the true masters of the world. On the other hand, The Essenes, the teachers of that day, were looking for someone like Moses to come and teach the law. But there was also a small group of Hebrews who were known as the quiet in the land. They knew that he would be a suffering servant who would “take our infirmities and sorrows upon Himself” and that He would be “Pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.” Well, these quiet ones devoted their lives to the study of the scriptures, constant prayer, and quiet watchfulness until the true Messiah would come. They believed God’s promise when He said, “Those who diligently seek Me will find Me.” Anna was a member of this group. They put their hope in the kind of Messiah that scripture foretold: not a ruler of the people of Israel but a redeemer of all mankind.

Now, there are various Greek words used in the Bible to depict redemption. One term used is “agorazo” meaning “to be bought in the marketplace.” In the days of the early church, there were about 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire. Most of these slaves lived their whole lives in slavery. There is, however, another word for redemption,” “exagorazo,” and it is used in verse 38 and means “to be bought out of the marketplace, never to be sold there again.” Anna knew that the people redeemed by the Messiah would be bought out of slavery to sin, never to be sold into it again. Since Anna had her eyes and ears tuned by scripture and prayer, when the true Messiah showed up, she saw Him and recognized Him. She put her hope in the right kind of Messiah.

Anna had the biblical knowledge of what the Messiah would do, and she built her life on that hope. She saw value in that little one snuggled in Mary’s arms. Anna saw her hopes come true because she put her hopes in the right person, God’s promised Redeemer.

Redemption is a central theme in Christian theology. It encapsulates the transformative work of God in delivering humanity from sin through Jesus Christ. This concept is best understood through three key dimensions:

We are Redeemed From Something: Humanity is redeemed from the bondage and marketplace of sin, a condition characterized by spiritual alienation and moral enslavement. Sin is a cruel master, enslaving individuals in its power. Redemption signifies liberation from this oppressive dominion, enabling believers to live in the freedom of grace.

We are Redeemed By Something: Redemption, however, requires the payment of a price, which Scripture identifies as the precious blood of Christ. This sacrificial act satisfies divine justice, securing atonement for sin and reconciling humanity to God. It underscores the depth of God's love, as Christ willingly bore the cost to free humanity from sin’s penalty.

We are Redeemed To Something: Redemption not only liberates but reorients us. We are freed to live in the fullness of life with God, yet this freedom comes with a call to submission. Believers are urged to become "slaves to righteousness,” surrendering their freedom in service and devotion to the Lord who redeemed them, reflecting true spiritual freedom through obedience and love.

The redemption through Christ is the foundation of humanity's hope, offering a profound solution to the universal problem of sin and death. At its core, redemption is the act of God rescuing humanity from the bondage of sin, accomplished through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His redemptive work restores broken relationships with God, granting the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. The redemption through Christ is the foundation of our hope.

In Every Season of Life, Jesus is Our Hope.

CONCLUSION

The hope found in Christ’s redemption is both immediate and eternal. In the present, it assures believers that their sins are forgiven, freeing them from guilt and shame. Believers are reconciled to God and empowered to live transformed lives through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. Redemption also infuses purpose into daily life, as believers are called to reflect God’s glory and share His love with the world.

Eternally, redemption promises the ultimate restoration of all things. Believers await the resurrection of the body and the renewal of creation, where sin, suffering, and death will be eradicated. This future hope sustains Christians through trials, reminding them that Christ's victory ensures their ultimate triumph. In Christ’s redemption, humanity finds an unshakable hope rooted in God’s unchanging love and faithfulness. Our redemption through Christ is the firm foundation of our hope.

In Every Season of Life, Jesus is Our Hope.

Years back, a gem dealer was strolling the aisles at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show when he noticed a blue violet stone that was the size and shape of a potato. He carefully looked it over and then, as calmly as possible, asked the vendor, “You want $15 for this?” Realizing the rock wasn’t as pretty as the others in the bin, the seller said, “I’ll take $10 for it.” The dealer paid the $10 and hurriedly took the stone to an appraiser, who appraised the 1,905-carat sapphire at $2.28 million dollars. This dealer knew what to look for, so he saw priceless value in a hunk of rock that others had missed.

While others had missed it, once Anna discovered that Jesus was indeed the Christ, she “spoke about the child to all looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke tells us that she began to share her hope “the very moment” that she discovered the Christ child. So, her first reaction to seeing Jesus was to command her century-old body to turn and run as she went from person to person, sharing the unbelievably good news that the long-awaited Messiah had finally been born. Anna knew that hope is something you don’t keep to yourself. It is something you share, especially when this hope is based on the Good News of Jesus’ birth. Christians should “always be ready to share the reason for their hope.” Without Christ, mankind lives in fear, fear of death, and fear of life. We wander through life without purpose or direction. We also live in fear of God and eternity. Colossians says that without Christ, we are “enemies of God and cut off from Him.” We were designed to know God and to relate to Him intimately, but our sins separate us from Him. The sad fact of Christmas is that non-Christians live in fear without any real hope in the world. Like Anna, we must ensure that those around us, consumed by the dark and dying world we all live in, know there is hope. That hope is invaluable, and that hope is found in Jesus.

In Every Season of Life, Jesus is Our Hope.

In every season of life, Jesus stands as an unchanging source of hope. Life is marked by a rhythm of seasons—times of joy and sorrow, growth and waiting, beginnings and endings. Regardless of the circumstances, Jesus provides an enduring foundation of strength, comfort, and direction. His presence offers reassurance during seasons of uncertainty and peace in moments of turmoil.

In seasons of joy and success, Jesus reminds us to remain humble and to use our blessings to glorify God. During seasons of hardship or loss, His promises of love, grace, and eternal life sustain us, providing hope that transcends present pain and struggles. Through seasons of waiting, His faithfulness teaches patience and trust, while in times of growth and change, His wisdom and guidance illuminate our paths.

This hope in Jesus is not dependent on our circumstances but is rooted in His unchanging nature and steadfast love. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, offering an anchor for our souls amid the waves of life. No matter the challenges or victories we face, Jesus invites us to cast our cares on Him, trusting in His power to redeem and transform every season for our good and His glory. We don’t have to walk through life afraid, anxious, or agitated. Do you remember what that angel proclaimed to the shepherds? He said, “Do not fear. I bring GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY for all people.”

Our world never comes as close to being in contact with its greatest hope as it does during the Christmas season. Your hopes can also come true this Christmas as long as you follow Anna’s example and build your life on the only hope we have: Jesus Christ. That is our only hope. Money, prestige, power, and luck provide us with no real hope. The only hope we have is that Jesus Christ was God’s only Son and that He died on Calvary’s cross for our sins.

During the Christmas season, we are reminded that Jesus is our only hope because His birth signifies God’s ultimate plan to redeem humanity. In a world marked by sin and brokenness, the arrival of Christ brings light, peace, salvation, and hope. Jesus fulfills the promises of Scripture, offering eternal life to all who believe. Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem symbolizes the hope that even in the darkest moments, God’s love and grace prevail, pointing us to the true meaning of life, His redemption of us, and our hope through Him.

In Every Season of Life, Jesus is Our Hope.