A Great Cost for the Greater Good [Advent 4B]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 1:26-38 A Great Cost for the Greater Good Something doesn't seem quite right here. I think it is supposed to be Elizabeth. That is how the story should go. That is the way God always does it. The special child is supposed to come out of the barren womb of the aged woman. Like Isaac from Sarah. Like Samuel from Hannah. That's it; that is how God has always done it. And that would have been perfect. The story of the Messiah's birth, it would perfectly mirrored Israel's narrative – a history of longing, waiting, just about to lose hope – and then God acts. In an unexpected way, in a miraculous way, but also in a manner in which the people of God, those who were really paying attention, had come to expect. On paper, Elizabeth was the perfect candidate. And not only that, people would have celebrated their good news. They were good people. They had been...