Daily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Tuesday, December 1, Morning
By Dr. Dwight Wade
Dealing with the Unexpected
Read Luke 1:5-35
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
One of Dr. Jim Fleming’s books described Elizabeth and Mary, cousins who faced momentous challenges. In a section called “Turning Points for Mary and Joseph,” he shared many little-known details about Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.
The aged Elizabeth was unhappily childless. Her elderly husband, Zacharias, was serving in the Jerusalem temple. While in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred space, the old man received an angelic visit promising the birth of a son, whom we remember was to become John. Upon hearing the news, the priest was flabbergasted!“I don’t see how this could be, since we are so old!” he retorted. For this moment of doubt, we’re told Zacharias was struck dumb until his son was born.
Mary, then in Nazareth, was a thoughtful devout youth, engaged to the older Joseph. Also receiving an unexpected visit from the angel, she learned she would also bear a child in a mysterious manner. The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you; the baby born to you will be the Son of God. And the obedient Mary said: “I am the Lord’s servant … May everything you said come true.”
The birthday of our blessed Savior approaches. Today, we also wait expectantly. We wonder just when the unwelcome pandemic will end and when we might once again worship in our sacred space. It seems to me that Advent is all about waiting with patience and hope. And we take our cue from two great women of faith who lived in a very dangerous era, when death from childbirth was the norm. Still, they endured their trials, believing their strength came from the Lord. God’s gift of the Christ Child is worth the wait.
Prayer
Loving God, no matter what trials we may yet face in this present age, remind us that you are always with us. Give us that same assurance and courage exhibited by Mary and Elizabeth, that we might remain a blessing to others this season. Amen.
Dr. Dwight Wade is the Church Street historian and author of Unfinished Journey.
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All are welcome at Church Street! We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We welcome and celebrate the gifts God has given to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. We respect diversity of opinion and expressions of Christian faith. We believe God loves everyone unconditionally! As God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.
The Most Important Thing
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, December 6, Evening
By Rev. Ann Robins
The Most Important Thing
Read Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 7:14
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
When I was young and just learning the scriptures, I tended to combine both the Matthew and Luke nativity stories together. When I got older and knew more about the scriptures, I learned that both versions were very different, written from different points of view, from different writers, for different audiences. The more I learned about the scriptures and the two nativity stories, the more I came to appreciate both and their differences.
2020 has been very different. Our normal routines have been disrupted. We have had to learn new ways of doing things and we have had to face new challenges. Some things will be changed forever and a new normal will be here to stay. Things will be different going forward.
Whether you are discovering the differences in the nativity stories this Advent/Christmas season or figuring out how this Christmas season will look during a pandemic, there is one thing you can be sure of. It is the most important thing and can be summed up in one word: Immanuel.
Immanuel means “God is with us.” God came to us in the form of an infant born to humble parents to be with us. Through a child that grew into a man, God came to us and shared His love for all humanity. God is with us through all our challenges, our frustrations, our changes and our discoveries. Isaiah and Matthew help us remember this most important thing this Advent season.
Prayer
God, in all our challenges and changes of this year, help us to know and see that you are with us. Help us experience and embody Immanuel this season. Amen.
Rev. Rick Isbell is the Minister of Discipleship, Retired.
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It Has Been a Year Like No Other
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, December 6, Morning
By Rev. Ann Robins
It Has Been a Year Like No Other
Read Numbers 11:10-17
Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.
We are a tired people. I wonder if that is how the people following Moses out of slavery felt? The people verbally attacked Moses and they wanted to stone him. How did he respond? In verse 15 of Numbers Moses says to God, “I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. Get me out of here.” We can relate. God told Moses to gather the leaders, and God would meet them and speak, and they would take some of the load of the people. Moses took his feelings (hurt, anger, frustration, why me?, and many other feelings) to God and not to the people. He could honestly bear his soul with all the emotions he felt. These emotions were not too big for God to hear, and the hurt and anger did not change God’s love for Moses. Sadly, not many of our relationships can endure such pain and honesty.
Our emotions have run high in this season of the unknown and uncertain. We have needed Immanuel (God with us) like no other time. Jesus led by walking daily through life’s challenges with others, and his love was not dependent on how others treated him. Are we looking in the mirror to see how we treat others? I tend to be angry with the person presenting the problem, when I need to address the problem and not the person. Others usually believe they are as right as I think I am. If I can listen, hear their concern and fears, believe the best of them and calm myself to respond, will we not have more of an opportunity to move forward to solve the problems? We will certainly not solve the problems by destroying our relationships and hurting one another.
Prayer
Immanuel, help me to see that the problems around me are not as serious as the problems within me. Please give me the courage to be honest with myself. Thank you for being bigger than all that I face. I ask for your help to love others as you love me. Help me to work with others, looking for their best and hoping they see my best. Thank you for creating the church to be your loving presence in this world. We ask that you empower your church to lead from a place of loving all your children as you love us. In your powerful presence I ask. Amen.
Rev. Ann Robins is the Tennessee Valley District Superintendent of the Holston Annual Conference.
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Prepare Him Room
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, December 5, Evening
By Therese A. Zaltash
Prepare Him Room
Read Psalm 130:5
“I will wait for the Lord. My whole being waits and in His word I put my hope.”
With the current state of our world secondary to this Covid-19 pandemic, it is very easy to succumb to anxiety and hopelessness. However, when I think and “prepare HIM room,” I am renewed to ponder on the season of Advent. A reminder that we are only passing through this world. The King of heaven left his throne and arrived as a swaddled infant, in the purest of forms.
It provides me with a renewed sense of thankfulness and gratitude of blessings I have received as a result of Christ’s coming. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the negative frenzy of the “holidays”.
Mary and Joseph prepared to make their way to the city of Bethlehem, with Mary due to deliver any time. Both were filled with anxiety over the unknown. Why were they chosen to be this child’s parents? What will this child be like? What will their future be like?
Advent brings us wonder and expectation, but that doesn’t mean we sit back and simply wait. We must continue every single day to prepare HIM room. We must honor the blessings and gifts God has provided for us: care for others, kindness, commitment, grace, etc.
While we are in the stillness, we can still live our lives accordingly as Christ himself did. Renew our hearts for Emmanuel. God is with us. This King will remove our current oppression. He will rule in peace and bring insurmountable happiness.
Reach out to others and help them to know Christ by your actions. Let his love for others be seen through your kindness and grace to all kinds of people. Start with a perfect stranger and exchange pleasantries, check on an elderly neighbor, thank your postman or grocery worker. Let them see Christ through you.
Prayer
Dear Father, Please restore my faith and hope, and teach me to experience gratitude, purity and a new found innocence, and bring others to know the promise in your word. We as a people are longing for peace for ourselves, peace for our families and peace for our world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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A New Heart
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, December 5, Morning
By Rev. Timothy Best, Senior Associate Pastor
A New Heart
Read Ezekiel 36:24-28
“I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (NRSV)
Ezekiel is one of my favorite Old Testament books. If it were a movie it would be some sort of experimental art house film for sure. Ezekiel uses strange images and metaphors to express the pain and the need of his people. The prophet Ezekiel is working and writing in the wake of a communal trauma. The temple has been destroyed and much of the population has been captured and led out of their own land into Babylon. Every other Advent, I felt like I needed to work hard to help people see that Advent is God’s promises to a hurting and grieving world. The bright colors and music that starts in earnest well before Advent can serve to distract us from the central proclamation that what we are getting ready for is the one who can address our deep needs and aching pains.
The promise of Ezekiel 36 is a promise of renewal. God promises to remove the community’s heart of stone, the heart that leads to idolatry and indifference, and replace it with a new heart. Not only a new heart, but God’s own Spirit will rest within us, too. After the last year, I yearn for renewal. I yearn for God’s Spirit to purify and cleanse. After these verses promising a new heart and the indwelling of God’s Spirit, Ezekiel grants us a vivid image of what the hope looks like; it is like a valley of dry bones that are given new life and new breath by the Spirit of God. In Jesus, the life-giving, life-renewing, kingdom of God is revealed and draws close to us. In Jesus, God takes on human flesh so that humanity itself will be renewed.
Even as the last year has been one full of challenge, division, and suffering, let all Christians pray that once again the Holy Spirit will renew us in our love for Jesus and his kingdom. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, renew us again for service to your kingdom. May we greet you as our promised Lord and King, the one through whom the whole world will be blessed. Amen.
Rev. Timothy Best is the Senior Associate Pastor at Church Street UMC.
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Carrying the Light in Hard Time
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Friday, December 4
By Laura Still
Carrying the Light in Hard Times
Read Isaiah 2:3b-5
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
This year more than any other it has been hard to feel connected as God’s people. We have been kept apart for our own health and safety, but knowing that doesn’t make it less lonely. Our church staff and clergy have done everything possible to reach out to us, and I applaud their dedication to finding new ways to send prayers, teach classes, and find alternate ways to worship and feel we are still a community of faith. But this has gone on much longer than we expected, and there is still no endpoint in sight. In fact, getting back to normal probably isn’t going to happen. We must accept that normal is going be different than it used to be.
So now what?
To answer this, I read back over the book of Isaiah, and reflected on what the prophet had to say. He was giving counsel to the people of Israel in a time not unlike our own. They had been scattered and were having hard times as they tried to come back together and rebuild their identity as God’s people. It would have been easy to be a prophet of doom and gloom in those times, but Isaiah’s job was not to spread despair. Instead, God asked him to be a beacon – a point of light in the darkness. Over and over, God uses Isaiah to reassure his people that, though their circumstances are grim, He is with them and has a plan for their future. It may not be the future they imagined, but God’s imagination would always exceed anything humans could come up with.
So in times of darkness, God wants us to walk in His light, to hold up that light to the world, and trust Him to bring us safely into His kingdom. We can still be God’s people, looking with hope to the future He is creating for us.
Prayer
Dear Lord, give us patience and help us be kind to each other, even though we are uncertain and afraid. Help us to focus on every small good thing, and use those points of light to strengthen our hope and trust in You. Make us sincerely grateful for your gifts to us, in the name of your greatest gift, Jesus Christ. Amen.
This devotion was written by Laura Still on behalf of the Children’s Ministries.
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What Are You Waiting For?
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Thursday, December 3, Morning
By Rev. Monty Walton
What Are You Waiting For?
Read Malachi 4:1-3
“Count on it: The day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash – a black day. But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking. And you’ll tromp on the wicked.
They’ll be nothing but ashes under your feet on that Day.” God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so. (The Message)
Advent is a time when Christians anticipate our joy at the coming of Jesus in power and light. But the prophets tell us that the day we are anticipating will not be a happy day for everyone. For the “arrogant evil-doers,” Malachi paints a frightening picture.
One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Nightmare Before Christmas (yes, I am weird like that). If you don’t know the storyline, Jack Skellington, who rules over Halloween, decides to take over Christmas. Jack’s goblins deliver tricks rather than treats for Christmas morning. The children who had been eagerly anticipating Christmas got quite the surprise. Christmas came, but not in the way they had expected.
We observe Advent to remember that Christ promised to come again; but have we forgotten how he promised to come? He will come with rescue and healing, but he will also come with authority and justice.
So, who are these arrogant evil-doers? The arrogant are those who are not humble before God, choosing to devote more worship to things that they have created than to the creator of all things. The evil-doers are those who do not pursue social justice, who ignore the needs of orphans, widows, and refugees (the powerless)… awkward silence
This year, as we anticipate the return of Jesus, let us remember all that his returning entails. Let us focus on what we will bring to Christmas instead of focusing on what Christmas will bring to us. When hardships test our patience, it is our all-knowing and powerful God who will, in his timing, lift our burdens and give us the patience to wait for better things ahead. Be still and know…
Prayer
Lord, we pray daily for an end to violence and injustice, and so we eagerly await the coming of the mighty King who will bring us peace and justice. Be with us in our waiting. Teach us to use this time to examine our hearts and souls and to repent of our blindness to the suffering and needs of your other children. Remind us that you will come in glory and mercy, but also in fiery righteousness. May you find us humble and merciful on that day. Amen.
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Waiting for Jesus
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Thursday, December 3, Evening
By David Lineberger
Waiting for Jesus
Read Psalm 27:14
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.”
No one would argue that the times we currently live in are somewhat frustrating! All of us want our lives to return to “normal,” and each of us has a pretty good idea of what we would like normal to be. Living in the 21st century, we are pretty much used to getting what we want quickly: Amazon deliveries the next day, or the same day in some cases, text messages answered in seconds from just about anywhere in the world, fast food whenever we want it, and the list could go on and on.
In the Advent season, we experience something quite the opposite: waiting. There are still many things we sometimes have to wait for; the birth of a child, our birthday celebration, an expected raise, or a reassuring call from a loved one. In Advent, we are waiting for the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus. The coming of the Savior was foretold many times in the Old Testament, and God’s people waited patiently for many years for that wonderful event to happen. Many people were still waiting when their lives ended, but God blessed their faith.
Faith involves waiting while trusting in God’s promises. What are you waiting for God to do? Do you trust that God will fulfill His promises in the best way possible for you, and at the best possible time? This season we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s greatest promise to send to all people everywhere, the gift of His Son Jesus, who brings to all believers the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. That’s something worth waiting for!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we confess that sometimes we get impatient waiting for things we want. Help us appreciate all the blessings you continue to give us. Give us joy in waiting to celebrate the coming birth of Jesus, our infant Savior. Amen.
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He Will Be With You
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Wednesday, December 2
By Dr. Jeffrey H. Johnson
He Will Be With You
Read Isaiah 43:1-3a
“But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (NLT)
I grew up in the church. I have listened to sermons in church and on the radio, and now on the internet for years. I love hearing the exegesis of God’s Word. Despite having listened to so much material, there are still specific messages I have heard that made such an impression on me that they have become part of me. I remember listening to a message about John the Baptist. We remember the great and lofty things he did in preparation for the Son of God and His ministry. However, we forget that he (John the Baptist) was thrown in prison and eventually beheaded. In Luke 7, two of John’s disciples went to Jesus and asked him if he really was the Son of God? They and John were having their doubts, given the events that were happening to John. Notice that Jesus did NOT drop what he was doing, rush to John, and have him rescued from prison and solve all of his problems. Instead, he instructed John’s disciples to tell John that the people were being served and the Gospel was being proclaimed.
In these difficult days of 2020, are we to abandon our faith in the midst of pandemic, racial tension, and strife in our country? I believe that we are called on to remember that when we go through rivers of difficulty (not if, but when), we will not drown. When we walk through the fire of oppression, we will not be burned up; the flames will not consume us. For He is the Lord, “the Holy One of Israel, our Savior.” Verse 5 of Isaiah 43 says, “I am with you.”
He was with John the Baptist, even in prison. And He is with us today …
Prayer
Father, we understand that your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts. You are God. You are King. You are the Sovereign One. You bridged the gap between God and Man through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Thank you for being with us today. Amen.
This devotion was written in honor of the Parish Health Ministry.
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Stephen
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Tuesday, December 1, Evening
By Beth Cooper-Libby
Stephen
Read Matthew 14:13
“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.”
Long ago in rural Western Pennsylvania, a little girl was in the car with her mother heading toward ballet class. The little girl was in first grade and new to the area. She did not have any friends yet but that was about to change, because as they were heading down a twisty country road, her mother hit a dog. Both were horrified, and the little girl’s mother approached the closest house and knocked on the door, frantic to find help. When that door opened, out came six children, three boys and three girls. In fact, one of those children, named Stephen, became her very best friend. I don’t mean “best” friends as in someone who will tell if those pants make your bottom look big. I mean best friends; my go-to when life got tough: high school bullies, breakups, financial troubles, school problems, job problems, illnesses, deaths and anything else that came at me. For most of our lives, we were never more than 20 minutes apart. That kind of best friend. That was until he died this year.
Aristotle described deep friendship saying, “What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies.” I am glad he did describe it, because when a friend dies often those around you do not give you the same support and validation that they would have had it been a family member. I found that most people, while well-meaning, are uncomfortable with your grief. They do not know what to say or how to say it. I heard it all, “do not avoid the pain, remember you aren’t alone, remember all your great memories. There is a reason for everything” … blah, blah, blah. This feels like you’re trying to grab on to something so you don’t fall. However, everything you grab is either broken or slippery. The grief is painful and nobody understands.
Jesus lost his best friend too. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, he wept. Even though he knew Lazarus was dying and he would raise Lazarus back to life, he was so overcome with emotion that he began to cry. Jesus not only lost his good friend Lazarus to death, he also lost his dear friend and cousin, John the Baptist. When Jesus heard the news about John, he got on a boat and headed to a desolate place. I know why he did that. Jesus was grieving. Jesus understands.
Prayer
God, you will never abandon us during our times of grief; you will always provide us understanding and hope. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Amen.
This devotion was written in loving memory of Stephen Martinak.
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Dealing with the Unexpected
adventDaily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Tuesday, December 1, Morning
By Dr. Dwight Wade
Dealing with the Unexpected
Read Luke 1:5-35
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.
One of Dr. Jim Fleming’s books described Elizabeth and Mary, cousins who faced momentous challenges. In a section called “Turning Points for Mary and Joseph,” he shared many little-known details about Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.
The aged Elizabeth was unhappily childless. Her elderly husband, Zacharias, was serving in the Jerusalem temple. While in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred space, the old man received an angelic visit promising the birth of a son, whom we remember was to become John. Upon hearing the news, the priest was flabbergasted!“I don’t see how this could be, since we are so old!” he retorted. For this moment of doubt, we’re told Zacharias was struck dumb until his son was born.
Mary, then in Nazareth, was a thoughtful devout youth, engaged to the older Joseph. Also receiving an unexpected visit from the angel, she learned she would also bear a child in a mysterious manner. The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you; the baby born to you will be the Son of God. And the obedient Mary said: “I am the Lord’s servant … May everything you said come true.”
The birthday of our blessed Savior approaches. Today, we also wait expectantly. We wonder just when the unwelcome pandemic will end and when we might once again worship in our sacred space. It seems to me that Advent is all about waiting with patience and hope. And we take our cue from two great women of faith who lived in a very dangerous era, when death from childbirth was the norm. Still, they endured their trials, believing their strength came from the Lord. God’s gift of the Christ Child is worth the wait.
Prayer
Loving God, no matter what trials we may yet face in this present age, remind us that you are always with us. Give us that same assurance and courage exhibited by Mary and Elizabeth, that we might remain a blessing to others this season. Amen.
Dr. Dwight Wade is the Church Street historian and author of Unfinished Journey.
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