You Bring the Present: A Women’s Christmas Devotional Sýnishorn

Anna: The First Gift of Christmas! 

On the last day of discussing the women who bring the present on Christmas, I would like to take a moment to honor the women of experience, wisdom, and age. Their beauty has matured like a fine wine, and their grace and patience knows no bounds. 

My grandmother is one of these women. She never forgets a birthday card, an anniversary, or life event. She spends weeks preparing for Christmas dinner, months gathering and wrapping presents. But when the prayer is prayed and the food is served, she disappears. She sits down for a moment to rest as everyone else digs in. She enjoys the sounds of cheer and contentment as all her hard work is enjoyed. She is a queen. 

Anna was also a woman of experience. She is a character in the Christmas story that is never in a nativity play or choir production, but she actually saw Jesus before the wise men. Anna was the only prophetess mentioned in the New Testament. She was an 84-year-old widow who spent her days at the temple, praying, fasting, and worshipping. 

As a devout Jewish woman in the temple, it could be assumed that one of the things she constantly prayed for was the coming of the Messiah, the savior of the Jewish people and the world—the promised one that would deliver their people. It was at the temple where Mary and Joseph brought their baby for his purification, which was the tradition during that time. Anna saw them with the baby Jesus, and “began to give thanks to God and to speak of [Jesus] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

The first woman to spread the gospel of Jesus to the Jewish people was 84 years old. Can you imagine her excitement? In my mind, I would love to liken her joy to a kid receiving the first present on Christmas morning--the awe of the child who received the “first gift of Christmas,” in the Polar Express. 

Can you imagine the ecstatic and almost giddy 84-year-old woman spreading the news that the savior was born that would redeem all of Jerusalem? 

Today we are grateful for the women who know that the gospel is not just for the young. To the women who never retire from raising generations to know and love a savior. To the queens who bring the present of the gospel, the love of their hearts, and their wisdom and experience to the younger generations who desperately need them. Ladies, you are a precious gift. The presence of Jesus that lives in your hearts shines through every wrinkle, stretch mark, story, and embrace. Thank you, and please, keep bringing the present.