23.) December 21, 2020 Elizabeth Luke 1:24-25, 44-45
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.”
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
(Elizabeth is like Rachel, Hannah, and Sarah of the Hebrew Scriptures who are miraculously given a child late in life)
When Zechariah comes home from Jerusalem unable to speak, I’m not sure what to think. The other men fall over each other trying to be first to tell their version of the story; that he must have seen an angel. I nod and send them home to their own wives. I then quiz Zachariah about what really happened. I give him something to write on, too. He writes, “We are going to have a baby. A son!” Before he can write anything more, I joyfully shout, “My disgrace is taken away! Let’s name him John!” Zachariah looks up at me, and smiles.
Thought: Does a drastic change in my life give me joy? Am I open to God’s will?