An Advent devotional on Luke 1:39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 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 favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”
Just round the corner from the WorldShare office is Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Sadly, it’s been closed for two years now, to the disappointment of many. You might have heard in the news that since 2022, different promises have been made by companies offering to reopen it, but they’ve all fallen through. At the moment, we’ve been reassured it will open in 2026 thanks to a new operator. We’re all waiting to see if the deal is kept.
In chapter one of Luke’s Gospel, we meet two people who are no strangers to waiting. Elizabeth and Zechariah are ‘righteous in the sight of God’, but long to have a baby and are now in their old age. After an angel appears to Zechariah assuring him that they will indeed have a son, they must patiently wait for God to keep his promise. And of course, He does. Elizabeth miraculously becomes pregnant.
Later in chapter one, we see Mary, also now pregnant, visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Upon seeing Mary, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps and she says these wonderful words: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”
You see, as well as God keeping his word to Elizabeth to give her a son, God also kept his word to all mankind to give us a Saviour. Jesus is the fulfilment of a promise made right at the start of the big Bible story (Genesis 12:3). Like Doncaster’s MPs making promises that the airport will definitely reopen, we love to reassure each other that our word will be kept, don’t we. We use phrases like ‘definitely’, ‘I promise’ or ‘for sure’. And yet, we never can be sure. There are so many things in life which are outside of our control. As much as we intend to do something, we might get ill, circumstances like finances or relationships may change, or as is the case with the airport, the new operator may well decide it’s just not worth it!
Fortunately, God is not like us in that way. God is a promise-keeping God. And he proved it to us in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.” So this Advent, when you feel like the world around you is out of control, or when you feel frustrated that people keep going back on their word, remember that the Christmas story is the fulfilment of a wonderful promise. God made a plan to save us through Jesus, because he loves us, and He stuck to his plan.
Our ministry partner, Potter’s House in Guatemala, is caring for pregnant ladies like Elizabeth and Mary who need to hear this life-changing news about Jesus. Click here to see our charity gift of Antenatal Care, where you can support Potter’s House as they provide vulnerable women with free healthcare. This ensures that they, and their babies, are cared for well. Not only that, they are also shown the love and care of the promised Saviour, Jesus.
Your Advent 2024 Prayer Challenge:
