“We Need God’s Grace and Our Loving Obedience to Grow in Hope for Christ’s Return 我們需要神的恩典和自己鍾愛的聽從，在盼望基督的再來裡成長“（Luke 路加福音2:36-40）
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, 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 worshipped 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. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
又有一個女先知，就是亞拿，是亞設支派法內利的女兒。她已經上了年紀，從童女出嫁，和丈夫住了七年，就寡居了，直到八十四歲。她沒有離開過聖殿，以禁食和禱告晝夜事奉主。就在那時候，她前來稱謝神，並且向期待耶路撒冷蒙救贖的眾人，講論孩子的事。他們按著主的律法辦完一切，就回加利利，到自己的城拿撒勒去了。孩子漸漸長大，強壯起來，充滿智慧，有神的恩典在他身上。
Anna, a widow who knew pain and loss but had not become bitter living in the temple and serving God with total devotion after seven years of marriage until she was eighty-four, was considered to be a prophet in the way that she brought forth specific words about Jesus. Perhaps it was because she was a woman of worship and prayer that she had never lost hope demonstrating her close walk with God by her love for Jesus and her desire to tell others about Jesus. Even as a child brought up by his devout, obedient parents, Jesus grew and developed like other children but being perfectly obedient to God, God’s goodness, favour and wisdom were evident in His life.
亞拿是童女出嫁七年後丈夫死了，成為深知痛苦和喪親滋味，卻未曾變得苦澀的寡婦，住在聖殿裡完全委身事奉神，直到八十四歲，而因她提出了有關耶穌的特定話語，被認定為女先知。也許這是因為她是一個敬拜和禱告的婦女，她從不失去盼望，以對耶穌的愛和向別人講述耶穌的渴望，來証明她與神親密的同行。耶穌甚至還是個孩子，在祂虔誠和聽從的父母教養下，就像其他孩子一樣長大和成長，卻完全順服聽從神，而神的仁慈、恩惠和智慧在祂的生命裡是顯而易見的。
Prayer: Gracious and Loving Father, thank you for Luke’s simple life account of Anna as a concluding episode of infant Jesus to hint the fact that Jesus’ childhood was as normal as that of an ordinary Jewish child where God’s grace and people’s loving obedience to Him are bare necessities for life-long walking with Him. May you grant us the faith to accept that there is not anything we need to know except what we are told by the Holy Spirit in the Word. Amen.
禱告: 有恩惠、仁愛的父啊，感謝你路加以亞拿生平簡潔的記述，作為嬰孩耶穌結束的一段情節，暗示祂的童年與一個平凡猶太孩童的一樣正常，其中神的恩典和人對祂鍾愛的聽從，是一生與祂同行最低限度的必需品。願你賜給我們信心去接受，除了聖靈在聖經裡告訴我們的以外，我們就不需要知道其它甚麼了。阿們。
