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6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
1 John 2: 12-17; Lk 2: 36-40
Dc. Larry Brockman
Focus! If only we could focus on love of the Lord, and not love of things of this world then we would be more pleasing to God. That’s the message that comes across from John this morning.  Â
Now, there is the interesting story of Anna the prophetess as an example. She was truly focused on Love of the Lord. Widowed just 7 years into her marriage, and they married young in her time, Anna lived alone as a widow for probably 60 years or more. Here is a woman who was living the expected life at the time- married, devoted to a husband, focused on her life in the world and then suddenly, in the prime of life, she is a widow. In the Old Testament times, being a widow was the most painful plight for a woman. No matter how you look at it, that was a wake up call for Anna. She was forced by the death of her husband to focus on what life was really all about.  I don’t detect any bitterness. Rather, Anna trusted in God and was patient. So, she dedicated her life to prayer and hope, rather than bitterness and focusing on things of the world. She was content with the life of uncertainty that the Lord had dealt her, waiting, just waiting for decades and decades, for the coming of the promised Messiah.  Â
Each one of us starts out in life focused on things of the world. That’s inevitable, because virtually all children focus on themselves and learning how to live in the world. We grow into maturity, and learn about a higher purpose, something other than what the world has to offer. Sometimes we do that with the help of our parents; sometimes by our own reflection; and sometimes by the school of hard knocks, like Anna did. But in any event, we make a choice during the process- a choice to make the world and the things of the world our primary focus; or to balance the necessity to live in the world with a primary focus on God. And the essence of focusing on God, the essence of Love of God, is patience and trust. These are the virtues that are the foundation of Faith in God. God’s will for us is not necessarily something we can map out, something that we can direct. Rather, we need to learn the lesson that Anna learned- to be patient and trusting as the Lord guides us on his path for us even when things look the most bleak.  Â
The coming of the Christ Child changed everything. Until then, the world seemed the ultimate in human experience. Life everlasting was just a vague promise. But with Christ, all that changed. The Messiah that was promised became real, one of us. And so, forever more, our primary focus must always be on God: when we are basking in prosperity; when we are just trying to make it in life; and even when we are miserable in hurt or sickness because “the world and its enticements are passing away. But whoever does the will of the Father remains forever”!  Â