The thing about weariness is that it tricks us into isolation. There are times when quiet and space are needed for healing of the mind, body and soul, but there is an extra layer of heaviness to weariness. When we are weary, we tell ourselves that we don’t have the energy, that we are not good company for anyone, that we would just depress everyone around us, that if we were around others, we would have to put on a fake, happy persona which we were not feeling. All of these things can be true and our faith teaches us that if one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. And if one part of the body celebrates, we all celebrate.
December 7, 2025
How does a weary world rejoice?
“We find joy in connection”
Luke 1: 24-45
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Luke 1: 24-45
Afterward, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She kept to herself for five months, saying, “This is the Lord’s doing. He has shown his favor to me by removing my disgrace among other people.” When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.” Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
We find joy in connection Luke 1: 24-45
We continue our story about Zechariah and Elizabeth from last week. One of the first details that Luke shares with us after Zechariah’s encounter with the angel is that Elizabeth became pregnant, and that she kept to herself for five months. What an odd detail for Luke to add. Our first assumption may be that Elizabeth is embarrassed, which would be a natural assumption to make after what Luke just told us in the previous chapter, that Elizabeth was barren and was getting on in years. That would be an natural assumption to make after all that Elizabeth has experienced over the years because unfortunately during that time being able to bear children was equated with a woman’s worth. It would be a natural assumption to make that Elizabeth was embarrassed given society’s assumptions, mores, and expectations but Luke is quick to tell us that Elizabeth finds great joy, finds great strength in this good news which she has received, telling us, “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!”
Yet in the midst of Elizabeth’s great joy, in the midst of her finding comfort and strength in this miracle, Luke tells us that she kept to herself for 5 months. When I read that line, the question of “why” came to mind…Why did Luke feel the need to add this detail? Why is this significant to the story?
For me, as I spent time with this text this week, I realized that Luke shared this detail so that we would embrace once again the transforming power the good news has in gathering us together in community, the connection it shares with us as it brings us together as people of faith, strengthening our relationships. I think Luke added this detail to help us remember that it is not good news unless it is shared, that it cannot fully change lives, change our world if we don’t share it with someone else. I think Luke added this detail to remind us to celebrate, to embrace, to open our eyes and our hearts to the healing ways the good news is already at work in our world, at work in our lives, bringing us together as people of faith. I think Luke added this detail to remind us that the news of God at work in this world bringing healing and wholeness is too good to be kept to ourselves, that its transformative power comes through and is experienced for all when we share it with others.
Because as people of faith, that is what it is all about. That is why we are here. Someone somewhere shared the good news of God’s love with us, and it changed our lives. When that person shared the good news with us, it reminded us that no matter what, that love and light will always overcome. It reminded us that death and destruction is not the end of the story. It reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves. It reminded us that we matter, that we have a deep connection to God, to nature, and to the whole cosmos that surrounds us. For me, Luke shares this detail because the good news is simply too good for us to keep to ourselves, that by sharing the good news with others, we are inviting everyone to tell a different story, a story which is full of possibilities of new life, hope and peace.
Or let me say it this way…There is a seductive narrative within our culture which tells us that we can do all things on our own, that we don’t need anyone, that we can do things by ourselves. From articles which praise eating alone to planning solo vacations, our culture is embracing and practicing an isolationist mentality. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m the first one to admit that I have gone to restaurants and eaten meals by myself, that I have taken trips by myself. At first, yes, the experience was a little weird but after a few minutes, I realized that I could get used to it. Because that time and space by myself invited me to sit back, not rush, enjoy a meal, and do one of my favorite pastimes…people watch. Yet, there came a point in that experience where I was no longer watching people. I was existing separately, and it felt very lonely. It became filled with anxiety. I began wondering if something happened to me, would anyone notice. This separation quickly changed quickly from rest and renewal to a disconnect which began telling me that I didn’t belong, that I didn’t fit in, that no one cared.
For me that is where the transformative power of sharing the good news comes in, breaks in and invites us to expand our limited and limiting narrative. Our faith story which is essentially the good news embodied and practiced in our everyday lives tells us that “we do not need to do the hard things alone, that there is power in connection.” Our faith story tells us that if one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. And if one part of the body celebrates, we all celebrate. Our faith story tells us all these things and more importantly, it shares with us the story of Elizabeth and Mary which reminds us over and over again, that as people of faith, we have the promise of Emmanuel which is God is with us in all things and through all things. Because here’s the beauty of this story….It really is about “two pregnant women, who are related but surely different from one another. One is young and one is old. One is married and one is not married yet. One is carrying the Word of God, and one is carrying the one who prepares the way. They were both separate when they got news of God’s plans for their lives. It is only when they share the good news of what God has done in their lives that they experience shared joy. It is only when they come out of their isolation that their joy becomes the connection. It is only when they share their good news that their connection to each other, with each other binds them together through a promise, a promise which reminds them again and again, that they are not alone, that they matter, a promise which reminds them, reminds us that death, destruction and weariness is never the end of the story. It is only when they share the good news do they experience its transforming power which gathers them in community, hope, peace and love.
For me, I think Luke tells us as people of faith, that Elizabeth spends 5 months by herself to challenge us, to remind us, to encourage us to embrace our call to share the good news with others so that all may know the transforming power of God’s grace and love in our lives and in world, to share the good news so that we can and do tell a different story, a story which invites all to dream of possibilities of new life, hope and peace. I think Luke tells us as people of faith this detail of Elizabeth spending five months by herself to remind us of the power of the good news to change lives, to change our world, because it is too good to keep it to ourselves. I think Luke shared this detail with us to remind us of our call to share the good news in this world as a way for our weary world to rejoice. May it be so. Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, December 7, 2025 – We find joy in connection Luke 1: 24-45.
Additional sermons are available in the Sermon Library.
Listen to the podcast.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.