Village 7 Presbyterian Church, Advent Wreath, week 2

A miracle – INDEED!
A message from God – YES!

Elizabeth was “advanced in years”,  Luke 1:7; “in her old age”, Luke 1:36.  Elizabeth was well beyond the time of child bearing; she was an old lady when she conceived John.

She was also a godly woman. The scriptures call her righteous, of the daughters of Aaron, and she walked blamelessly with God. Luke 1:5, 6.

And Elizabeth was barren, she and Zechariah had no child. In those days barrenness was considered a disgrace. Other’s whispered, she’s barren. It felt like being reproached. The Message rendition calls it her “unfortunate condition”.

On some level do you identify with Elizabeth? I do.

Even though I was walking with God, at least as best as I knew, there was something missing, a barrenness in my life, an unfulfilled desire, an Elizabeth-like piece. It was my unfortunate condition and I felt it deeply.

And like for Elizabeth, God intervened. Elizabeth responded in two ways. She acknowledged her pregnancy was from God. Then she “for five months kept herself hidden” Luke 1:24. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Elizabeth did during that time. My guess is she spent a lot of time in worship and prayer.

For you to consider:

1. What are the unfortunate conditions in your life that have led to unfulfilled longings?

2. How have you experienced God intervening for you?

3. During this second week of Advent, how might you follow in Elizabeth’s footsteps?

Copyright: Sue Tell, December 2025