“The Lord has done this for me”, she said, “In these days, he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1:25

Happy Friday, everyone. On this Christmas season, as we are preparing, I want to just take a second to pause and focus in on someone who doesn’t get a lot of attention during this very busy holiday season, and us catching the narrative leading up to Christmas. She happens to be a pastor’s wife. In fact, I want to encourage each and every one of you to not only make sure you acknowledge your pastor during this busy season, but make sure that you also recognize the ministry of your pastor’s wife. The time and the sacrifice that she gives so that her husband can serve in his role, but as well, the ministry that she carries is so important. Make sure that you recognize that – it’ll mean a lot.

This pastor’s wife that I’m talking about, however, is Elizabeth. She’s married to Zachariah, the one who’s serving in the temple when the Angel Gabriel appears to him and announces that even though he and Elizabeth have never had children, and they’re up in years, they are about to have a son.

A son who will be named John, whom we now know as John the Baptist. And he’s going to be the forerunner of Baby Jesus. He’s the forerunner of Jesus’ ministry. And Elizabeth is really just taken back by this incredibly great and powerful news. And in Luke 1:25, this is what she says, “The Lord has done this for me”, she said, “In these days, he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

What disgrace? Well, back in those days, especially even prior to that, all the way back into the Old Testament, it was seen as a disgrace if you couldn’t bear children. There was a social stigma attached to it. And she’s recognizing that this gift of this baby that was going to be born, who’s going to play the forerunner to the Ministry of Jesus was not only going to be a blessing to many, but was a personal blessing to her.

I wonder if we might also think this Christmas of those who have different types of social stigma attached to them? Maybe they’re in a living situation that maybe society says, “Well, that’s their fault, it’s on them”. I wonder if we might think a little bit more graciously about those folks? I think about some of our people who, especially are homeless, or those who are struggling with mental illness, and some of the stigmas that have characterized those situations.

You know, aren’t we so glad that Jesus didn’t put a stigma on us and avoid us and say, “Well, it’s your fault”? He didn’t do that. Just like he did for Elizabeth, He removes our shame, He removes our public disgrace. He does that because He is the Savior who came into a world of sinners, to save sinners, that we might be set free, and that the shame and disgrace of our sins would be removed from us.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for coming into this world, for not turning Your back on us, but entering into this world to walk among us, to be with us and to take away our disgrace. To take away our shame of our sins. You have absolutely shed light on what it is to love and to show mercy and to show grace.

And would You help us to do that as well? Help us to give voice this Christmas to the celebration, like Elizabeth did, that we would lift up our voice in praise, saying “thank you for removing our disgrace from among the people, for You have died for our sins and You have set us free”. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.