Welcome back to our special Advent edition of the Daily Devos. Advent means “the arrival.” It is a way to look back and celebrate the Son of God coming to earth to be born as a baby in a manger while we also look forward to His second coming when creation will be redeemed and restored. Through December, we invite you to experience Advent in your own story.

Each week, we will discover a theme or a promise seen in the birth of Jesus that carries us through the “already not yet” as we await the arrival of His eternal Kingdom. This week we are looking at the promise of JOY.

Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

The heading in my Bible for this passage says “Mary visits Elizabeth.” Most of us bring into this passage a familiarity with Mary, but maybe not so much Elizabeth. Elizabeth was married to a priest named Zechariah. Luke 1 tells us that “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” (v. 6) We learn in verse 7 that they were childless because they were both very old and Elizabeth was not able to conceive. Later on in Luke 1, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah and told him that Elizabeth would become pregnant with a son and that they were to name him John. Read it for yourself, but Zechariah doubted this because the odds seemed stacked against them. And, because of his doubt, he became unable to speak! For real, go back and read it. In verse 24, Elizabeth becomes pregnant.

Fast forward to our passage in verse 39. Mary has just been visited by Gabriel, an angel of the Lord. Following this encounter, the next place she goes is to Elizabeth. When we read Scripture, it is so easy to reduce the people we read about to characters in a story. But they are real people - with real emotions. Can you imagine what Mary is feeling? Anyway, it stands out to me that Gabriel prompted this visit from Mary to Elizabeth. He told her that her relative Elizabeth was going to have a baby and gave her an update on her pregnancy (Luke 1:36).

Our Lead Pastor, Craig Curtis, uses a phrase often about the power and importance of community. He says, “Sometimes we have to borrow each other's faith.” I love that phrase, and I love how we get to see that play out right here.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:41-43

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Have you listened to Share Your Story: Christmas Edition yet? Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
• Find more Advent tools and resources at venturechurch.org/advent.