“There was great rejoicing with Elizabeth after the birth of her son; however, there seemed to be a pause in the praise when the name of the child did not align with the traditions of the day. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Failing to believe Elizabeth (I guess we haven’t trusted women for a while now), the gathered crowd motioned for Zechariah to name the child and they were surprised that his selection was the same as Elizabeth’s. In this moment, the crowd was amazed, Zechariah was freed to speak, and praise was the order of the day. Fear came over the neighbors and the rumor mill went wild. Surely the hand of the Lord would be on this child, John.”
—Rev. Cecelia D. Armstrong (@brightbutterflies), from her commentary on Luke 1:57-66 | @sanctifiedart
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“Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming”. The season of Advent is the first season of the Christian church year and encompasses the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a season of waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ on Christmas, which lasts for 12 days until Epiphany (January 6).
This Advent, we will be going through a series titled How does a weary world rejoice? created by A Sanctified Art. We hope these daily meditations will accompany and inspire you on your Advent journey!