Today, June 24, is the day that we celebrate John the Baptist on our church calendar. But what about his mother, Elizabeth? A woman of joy and deep faith, she was instrumental in helping Mary through her fears -- and she raised a great son. Time to give Elizabeth her due! Who was Elizabeth? A descendent of Aaron; daughter of a family...
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Unlike most of the world, God does not throw away old people. Nor does God assign women to lesser or unimportant roles. A robust example of being valued--as a woman and an old person--is found in Luke 1. Here, the classic story about Elizabeth, the relative to whom Mary ran when she was newly pregnant with Jesus, is brims over with life and...
Read MoreRead MoreSamson’s mother’s story (Judges 13) Why is Samson’s mother the mystery woman of Advent? Because, like Elizabeth and Mary, she was the mother of a son whose birth was announced by God. Both she and Elizabeth were mothers of “nazarites:” men set apart by God before birth as holy men. Heroes both, John the Baptist and Samson set the stage for...
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Elizabeth’s story (Read Luke 1) We hear a great deal about Jesus this time of year. But Advent is about preparing the way for Jesus, and no one did that better than John the Baptist this time of year--and it all started with his mother, Elizabeth. What do we know about her? Consider her story...
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Bible women suffer horrible loss, and at times are like pawns moved around on a patriarchal chess board, but they remain bright lights in sacred history. Ever wonder what it was like for women in biblical times? We know this much: life was exceedingly tough, especially in the violent pre-monarchy years. Women were routinely assigned marriage partners by their fathers or brothers for...
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