12/4- Elizabeth Luke 1

12/4  Luke 1:24-25, 39-45- Elizabeth

24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25“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.” 39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Thoughts: Elizabeth and Zechariah were old enough to remember when Judah was free and independent under the Maccabees.  Zechariah, her husband, was a priest who had the important job of keeping the incense maintained and lit.  Twenty years before the priests held special honor and had a real say in the governing of the land.  But all that was taken away when the Romans (who originally came to help) took over the land.  Yet, Elizabeth never forgot the promises of God, and had hope that Mary’s baby would be the Messiah that would rescue the people somehow.  It is important, in the face of fear, to always believe in the promises of God. The things we have can be stripped away, our titles and our money can disappear, but our focus is never on what we lose, but on the One who will always be with us- Immanuel- God with us- Jesus.

Prayer: May your presence cause me to leap for hope and joy as John did in your presence, Lord.

Activity: Think of someone who is older who needs some cheering up by a child.  Make a card for someone who is older to cheer them.

Song: O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.  Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel!
(p. 88- Glory to God. )

12-3-13 Elizabeth- Mother of John the Baptist

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:39-45)

Thoughts: There are 1.5 million people in America alone named Elizabeth.  Elizabeth means "promise of my God."  Elizabeth was given hope and a promise in her old age.  She was Mary's cousin, and was told that she would bear the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist.  She was probably the first human to bless the Messiah within Mary's womb (though we could count the leaping of John in the womb as a type of blessing).  Elizabeth was of a priestly line- which also speaks of Mary's blood.
   
Soliloquy:  If Elizabeth were alive and asked how she felt about the Messiah's coming.
    I am so very excited that God has allowed me to live to have my own child, and even on top of that to see the birth of the promised Messiah!  I have waited for so long.  It is a wonder to me to think that the anointed One would be born of my own cousin, and I would be able to have her (and him-in the womb) in my own house.  I could not help but exclaiming so everyone could here- "Blessed are you (Mary) and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus."  To be there and to take part in the story is truly one of the greatest blessings of any life every lived.
       I would not be human if I didn't say that I am nervous about having a baby in my old age.  So many die in child birth and I do not have the youth and energy of some.  I am nervous about our raising our child in our old age and seeing him grow up.  It is such a hard time for children to grow up.  There are pagan influences from the Romans and Herodians- with immorality and false beliefs.  Faith seems so cold, harsh, and legalistic in many.  There is so much killing and brutality.  But I know the God who gave me this baby will help raise him up.  I claim the promise, "Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6).  Lord, bless my child and the child of my cousin Mary.

Prayer: Lord, take my life and use me to be a blessing to your people as Elizabeth was a blessing to Mary and all who would believe.

Elizabeth and Mary greeting each other.

12-2-13 Zechariah

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Thoughts: Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist and of a priestly line. He lived in Hebron in the Hill country of Judea when Mary visited him and Elizabeth.  He and his wife were called "blameless" and "keepers of the Law."  Zechariah was given the special (one man, once a year) gift of bringing incense before God in the Holy Place in the Temple.  There the angel Gabriel appeared to him, and gave him the great news that he would have a son in his old age (Muslim tradition says he was 92).  Though Zechariah was a believer, he did not believe the angel's message and was made mute until the child was born.  His prophecy above perhaps was well thought out for nine months!
     In the passage above we have recorded Zechariah's amazing prophecy of his son and his son's ministry.  Strong tradition (Origen et al.)has it that Zechariah was killed by Herod at about the time of the searching for the children under two in Bethlehem.  Perhaps this helped John the Baptist speak out against Herod's atrocities, though it meant his own death.  

Perhaps Zechariah would say about advent's coming of the Messiah:
As a priest who tries to please God, I am very concerned about my people.  They are in a dark place with paganism of the Romans and Greeks influencing them on the one hand, and a drifting away into a legalism that forgets the importance of knowing God on the other.  The people need to repent and come back.  If only God would raise up in the next generation prophets to draw people back to God!
    The angel Gabriel came to me to announce that I would have a Son who would bring people back to God.  He said my Son would bring many back to the Lord and prepare the way for the coming Messiah.  What a blessing!  How I would love to see it all!  May God give my Son fearlessness in the face of his enemies.  May he be a soldier of God- not with the sword of the hilt, but the sword of the Spirit!  Holy Spirit- you have answered our prayers to come anew. Give us listening ears to respond to you- whenever you come and speak to us. 

Prayer:  Lord, give us ears to hear and hearts to believe your message.  Use us and raise up the next generation for your glory!



(Ghirlandaio Dominico- 1486-90- wikimedia)