Life Disrupted (Mary / Elizabeth)

Introduction

Video: Mary / Elizabeth “Joy To The World”

“Joy To the World, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King”

Have you ever stopped to consider the incredibly unique way in which Jesus came into the world, especially for one born King? For our Advent series this year we have been carried along by these classic Christmas hymns that so many of us know because we have been singing them since we were young. “Songs of the Savior” ... but we don’t often stop to think about the depth of their words and how they lead us into more than just beautiful pictures of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus.

Tension

And while we see a lot of poetic licence being taken here, this little video does paint a pretty accurate picture of the context into which these events took place. We aren’t given all the details, but as best as we can figure Mary told Joseph and her family about the baby and then someone in the mix thought it might be a good idea for her to go visit her cousin Elizabeth who was much older than Mary and was also expecting a…very unexpected.... child.

And today we look at the story with the advantage of knowing the whole picture, but these pregnancies were major life disruptions for these two ladies. Sure, they were the fulfillment of prophecies long ago, so the world had long anticipated the things but these two women certainly were not expecting them to happen in this way or at this time or especially not to them.

And I loved that line they gave Elizabeth, when she says,

“If the Lord has chosen an old woman beyond her years and a young woman before her time, who are we to argue with Him?”

That is some great advice… because we do argue with Him don’t we? When our life is disrupted by unexpected events one the first things we do is argue with God about how He is taking care of us…

What? Really? Why me? Why now?

How am I going to I explain this to...?

What about all that work that I put in to those other plans?”

How is any of this going to work, are you sure you know what your doing?

When life gets disrupted by new unplanned realities it can be hard to even accept them, let alone develop any appreciation for them. It can be hard to be joyful when our lives get disrupted and everything seems to be out of our control… but the nature of real joy is such that is shines brightest in the midst of the most disrupting times… because we are relying on the one who is in control!

This is one of many things that we can learn from the story of these two women, the story we are going to look at more closely this morning.

So open you Bibles up to Luke chapter 1, page 855 in the Bibles in the chairs. We will back up a bit before the arrival of Jesus to see how these two women were able to experience Joy in their “Yes” to God’s plan for their lives.

Truth

You likely know at least some of Mary’s story, but you may not know much about how Elizabeth and her … now under-stated husband.... fit into the picture. Most readings of the Christmas story start in Luke chapter 2, but to know Elizabeth and Zechariah’s story we have to back up to the first chapter of Luke. Their life is a great example of how:

God’s timing can often seem untimely (Luke 1:5-25)

Starting in verse 5 of chapter 1 we read...

Luke 1:5–7 (ESV)

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Why did they have no children?

Did they want to focus on their careers? No.

Did they just not feel like they would be good parents? No.

Did they just enjoy their freedom and thought children would get in the way? Definitively not.

Quite the opposite of all those things actually. In the culture of their day it was seen as a disgrace to not have any children. Your families legacy and honor depended on the strength of your of the family tree and if you didn’t have any children then you were looking sparse.

This was so deeply rooted in their culture that if a married couple didn’t have children it was often seen as a punishment from God for some secret sin that they had done.

That is why Luke is so quick to point out that they were “good people”. They weren’t perfect, but they were not hiding some secret sin. They walked in the way of the Lord. They had no children simply because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

So being childless was never Elizabeth’s plan, nor was it Zechariah’s. They fully expected that they would have sons to carry on their little branch of their families tree. But life doesn’t always work out the way that we expect, does it?

After many years, Elizabeth and Zechariah accepted that the blessing of children was not God’s plan for them and so they settled into doing life differently than the rest of their friends and family. They may have never liked it, but they had learned to live with it.

And then one day Zechariah, who served as a priest, was chosen to be the one who went in to offer a sacrifice in the Temple. While the rest of the priests were praying outside, Zechariah went in to perform the ritual… verse 11

Luke 1:11–13 (ESV)

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

Wait…now? In their gray-haired twilight years? When everyone else their age is getting updates on their grand kids God has finally decided to answer the prayer of Zechariah. Probably a prayer that he had prayed faithfully for years but by now is more like a prayer he used to pray… and yet… here they are about to be parents in their old age.

But there is more…

Luke 1:14–17 (ESV)

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

You see this was about more than just the miracle of an untimely birth of a child to an elderly couple, it was to be the kind of miracle that got peoples attention in order to prepare them for the coming of an even greater miracle birth, the coming of Emmanuel, God with us.

And we don’t make too much of this, but understand that at this point God’s people had not heard from a prophet of the Lord for over 400 years and now their son would not just be a prophet, but a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah. There was no prophet more recognizable than Elijah, and their son “John” would be like him.

From the perspective of this elderly couple this announcement was a major disruption in their life, but this was perfect timing for the world. God’s people had wandered far from Him and it was going to take a major disruption to shake them up enough to see what God was about to do. And God gave us that disruption in the life of this John.

Maybe you have already made this connection, but their son will grow up to be the man we call “John the Baptist”. You know that strangely dressed guy who prophesied out in the wilderness, lived off of grasshoppers dipped in honey and called people to repentance through baptism. This is that guy. He was even the one who got to baptize Jesus.

John’s role in the coming of Jesus was long foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and we see it’s fulfillment in Matthew chapter 3 where it says

Matthew 3:1–3 (ESV)

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”

That prophecy is found in Isaiah 40:3

…

John the Baptist was known to shake things up, to be disruptive to those who thought they knew God’s ways but really just wanted his power. So all of that needed disruption began right here in the temple when the angel disrupted Zechariah’s ritual to say that as an old man, he will have a son.

APPLICATION

From a human perspective this timing seems all off, but God’s timing is always perfect in that it works to fulfill His perfect promises. Just as Elizabeth’s life was disrupted with a child in her old age, we can trust God in the untimely, challenging events of our lives.

More than that we can even find joy in them.

There will be surprises along life’s way, but there are blessings to be found even in the disruptions. There will be struggles that may bring us to our knees, but our God has not left us alone and he has given us the promises of His Word to trust in.

Promise like Isaiah 41:10 which says:

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And I don’t know what each of you are facing right now, but if you are facing a seemingly “untimely time” in your life right now then you might need to hear these words from Emmanuel… “do not fear, for I am with you,”

God is for you. God is with you. Amid life’s disruptions, place your trust in Him.

Zechariah had a hard time believing the angelic messenger, so much so that the angel caused him to become mute, like the video said. But even in this, the priest Zechariah could have pointed his wife to verses like this one to try and absorb the shock and questions that must have come in facing something like this at this point in their lives.

And more than just what it would it do in their lives is how God will use her untimely condition to minister to a young, likely worried, teenage girl.

Secondly, through Mary’s story we see how:

God’s encouragement can often come in unexpected ways (Luke 1:26-45)

Moving down to verse 26 we read of Mary’s angelic visitor..

Luke 1:26–28 (ESV)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

This is a theme that keeps coming up so lets not read through that line too quickly. The angel Gabriel greets Mary with the words “the Lord is with you”.

But this was all new to Mary and she didn’t really understand what to do with a greeting like this so the angel explains:

Luke 1:29–31 (ESV)

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (thats the “O favored one” part) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Luke 1:32–33 (ESV)

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

(and that’s the “Lord is with you” part)

Now obviously this would be a lot for any young woman to take in, but Mary was a poor teenage girl living in the backwoods city of Nazareth far away from any sense of royalty or kingdom. She was contently betrothed to a good man named Joseph and she looked forward to a quaint little life raising children with him. All this “King” and “Kingdom” stuff was not a part of her world. It was all quite a head scratcher.

Luke 1:34–38 (ESV)

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

This is huge. And we could have endless conversations of the significance of all of this, but suffice it to say this was an unexpected disruption to the life plans of this young teenage girl. How could she possibly be the one to handle such an important assignment?

But with his next words, Gabriel leads her toward a very unexpected source of encouragement. He continues to say:

And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Knowing exactly what Mary would need to be what God had called her to be, God ordained the stories of these two women to be intimately intertwined. And…

Luke 1:39–45 (ESV)

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Can you imagine how this greeting would have hit Mary? Elizabeth’s joyful exclamation may have been the first encouraging words that Mary had heard in days or even weeks. And Elizabeth was probably the first person to describe Mary’s new pregnancy as a “blessed” event. Everyone else had very different ideas about it all.

Having been “filled with the Holy Spirit” Elizabeth continued to say....

Luke 1:43–45 (ESV)

And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

I can’t help but see tears in the eyes of at least Mary, but maybe they both broke down and shared tears of both joy and relief as they came together in this significant moment.

In a world, not unlike ours, where people are quick to judge others, the relationship between these two women gives us a great example of the strength that can come when we support each other and lift one another up in a world that doesn’t understand all the ways that God is working in our individual lives.

Even more so, it shows us the strength that comes when we trust in God’s Word. For the last thing Elizabeth said was:

Luke 1:45 (ESV)

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

I can’t help but wonder what poor Zechariah said when he got home, well he didn’t say anything because he was still mute, but can you imagine what he tried to communicate when came home to his own crazy situation only to find that a situation even wilder just walked through his door!

But if he was the kind of man we believe him to be, then he probably pointed both these women back to the promises of God in is Word. To encouraging verses like this again from Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:29–31 (ESV)

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Application

During this season of exchanging many different gifts, let’s not forget this important gift of Christian grace and encouragement. In Christ Jesus we have everything we need to give this gift because this is not just about our showing up, but about how Holy Spirit works in and through our lives to impact others.

This is especially needed for those who have had their lives disrupted in some very difficult way this past year. How might we connect with someone like this and offer a word of encouragement to them this Christmas season?

And I know exhorting you toward doing one more thing during the Holidays is a touch sell, but lets not overlook those words from Isaiah: In our weakness, God is our strength. Whether young or old, energized or exhausted, may we run into His purposes for our life and so not grow weary; may we walk in his ways and so not be faint.

Lastly this morning we see that…

God’s miraculous plan delivers unmatched Joy (Luke 1:57-66)

Remember that the angel told Zechariah that the birth of their son “John” will bring them “joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,” so lets see if that is what happens...

Luke 1:57–58 (ESV)

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

There was great joy, but more than just the joy over a successful deliver was the impact that something significant was happening with this family. When people asked Elizabeth about his name they were surprised that she didn’t name their only son “Zechariah” after his father. The name “John” seemed strange because no one in their family had that name. So they asked Zechariah…

Luke 1:59–66 (ESV)

And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.

And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Gospel Application

In our ever-disrupted lives, may we pause this Christmas season to embrace the untimely timing that God’s miraculous plans so often bring our way.

May we look for opportunities to be that source of unexpected encouragement among those we encounter.

And in all the trappings that so often cloud the reason for this season, may we not miss the unmatched joy that unfolded not only in the lives of these expectant mothers, but also through these two babies born six months apart.

One, a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way.” The other, the one for whom the way was prepared. He was the one born in the manger. The one whose arrival we celebrate during the Christmas season. The one who was born “King of the Jews”.

Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.

The earth receive her king

Let every heart, prepare him room

And heaven and nature sing, and heaven nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing.

Invite the Worship Team forward as I close the message in prayer.