Heroes of Hope: Saturday

Saturday February 20, 2021

Created by Elyse Horn

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Devotion

In Luke, we find two women who were witnesses of miraculous hope: Elizabeth and Mary. One of the first encounters with hope in this story lies in the promise of children. Elizabeth and Mary were unlikely mothers: Elizabeth was barren and Mary was a virgin. The gift of children was a sign of a new future for themselves and their families. Even more so, the angel of the Lord foretold that these children would be destined for greatness.

When the angel appeared to Mary, he gave her the gift of knowing that she would not be alone. Elizabeth would be going through a similar situation. Elizabeth’s blessing of Mary and Jesus (see verse 42) sustained Mary. Instead of leaning into the fears and anxieties that she most likely had, Mary leaned into the hope of Elizabeth and the greater hope that would come with the birth of Jesus. Mary’s hope in a weary age was grounded in the promises of God. She names God’s promises as mercy, compassion, and continued fulfillment of the covenant.

Elizabeth and Mary were witnesses to the power of hope, even in dire circumstances. The Holy Spirit provided Mary with what she needed to keep going: a shared experience of pregnancy and reminder of hope and blessings.

Practice: Talk to friends that are going through similar life experiences to you and think about how you can be examples of hope in each other’s lives.

Prayer

Good and gracious God, help us to find hope in this weary season. Amen.