Calvary Monterey Podcast Women Of Christmas: Elizabeth (Luke 1)
Title: Women of Christmas: Elizabeth
Speaker: Nate Holdridge
Text: Luke 1
Women Of Christmas Theme: For this Christmas season—Advent—over the next three Sundays, I would like us to consider some of the women of Christmas. All of them are found in Luke's gospel. First, we will consider Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary. Second, we will consider Mary, the young virgin who became the blessed mother of our Lord. And third, we will consider Anna, the elderly widow who daily waited for the Messiah in the Jewish temple and celebrated when she saw Jesus.
Overview: So Elizabeth was a woman after God's own heart, a woman who lived in fear of the Lord, and through her body, the dawn of the gospel began to break. Her steadfast hope in God, her prophetic counsel as a messenger for God, and her determined obedience to God all paved the way for the Son of Mary, the Son of God.
Let's emulate Elizabeth by walking righteously even while still in the dark. This Christmas season, as we consider the beauty of the first advent, we still look forward to the second. All is not as it should be. And all is not as it will be once Christ returns. When he does, he will lift our reproach from us. Brokenness will not remain. We will be redeemed by our Lord.
One of the most celebrated facets of this time of year is the warmth and joy of friendships and family. Movies and music often portray, amid the darkness and cold, glowing lights and relational warmth. But it is getting harder and harder to believe the hype. We cannot forget the animosity, despair, and brokenness of our time. Nor can we forget our own disappointments, times when life is anything but what Hallmark portrays.
But rather than be disgusted by the hype, realize it is the guttural cry of humanity for something we cannot attain on our own. We want peace on earth. We want goodwill toward man. We want goodness and joy to permeate all things. And so does Christ. One day, he will return and banish sin, pain, brokenness, and injustice for his people. The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and he will reign forever (Malachi 4:2). So let's be like Elizabeth, faithfully walking with God while hoping in God, using this Christmas season as another signpost to a more glorious age to come.
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