People of the Promise: Elizabeth

Sermons of Pastor Rob Myallis

Advent 3, 2024

There are no “small” roles!

When Elizabeth discovers that Mary is pregnant with Jesus, Elizabeth does something amazing (Luke 1:39-55). Instead of feeling threatened that her own pregnancy would be overshadowed, she rejoices and magnifies Mary’s joy.

What allows Elizabeth to do the almost divine thing here, to celebrate, free of jealousy, for another’s humans success? Perhaps it is her conviction that she had a part to play in God’s unfolding drama in Jesus Christ. Elizabeth knows in this story, every role, every person matters. This allows her to rejoice in her own role and rejoice to discover how God works in the lives of others.

That said, in Elizabeth’s life, there were many times when she wasn’t sure what her role actually entailed. In our lives too, we don’t always know. Instead, we must live by the promise, that we matter to God and that God’s mercy is from generation to generation. For the stuff that Mary sings about — the world turning upside down — doesn’t happen overnight and requires our faithful actions over the generations.