The Journey

Elizabeth: Living with Dead Hopes

Luke 1:39-45

 

Opening Words: It is one of western civilization’s best known stories. For 2,000 years it has been told and retold. Countless sermons have examined it. Some of the greatest music of all time has been inspired by it. Some of the titans of the art world have portrayed it. It is a story that is promoted by the secular and the sacred. Every American home cherishes their representation. Everyone knows the story, the major characters and storyline. Everyone knows the subplots and the supporting cast. Do you know of anyone who doesn’t know the story of the birth of Jesus?

 

This is sermon number three in a six part sermon series I have called The Journey. We are following Adam Hamilton’s book of the same name. To date, we have looked at Mary and Joseph. Today, we will look at Elizabeth’s role in the Nativity. Next week, December 18, we look at the journey to Bethlehem. On Christmas Eve we will look at the manger and finally on Christmas day we will look at John’s understanding of the birth of Christ in John 1. May God give you ears to hear this morning’s scripture lesson, Luke 1:39-45. Let me call this message Living with Dead Hopes.

_________________________________________________________________

Luke 1:39-45 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

________________________________________________________

Never underestimate the power of hope! A school system had a program to help children keep up with their studies during stays in the hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She wrote down the student’s name, the hospital and the room number. She talked briefly with the child’s regular class teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the regular teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them.” The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she felt like a failure. But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.” Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?” Never underestimate the power of hope!

 

According to the text this morning, Elizabeth had no hope. Who was Elizabeth? According to Luke 1:36, she was a relative of Mary. Many believe she was Mary’s elderly aunt. Elizabeth was past her prime. When she was young she and her husband Zachariah had dream of a house filled with happy children. The problem was the children never came. They were still rocking an empty cradle. Her bareness was not just a matter between her and Zachariah. It was a public disgrace. In her world, children were a sign of God’s blessings. The greater the number the children, the greater the blessings; the fewer the children, the fewer the blessings. Zachariah and Elizabeth had no children; they had no blessings. In their sexist world Elizabeth was the only one to blame. In the old rabbinic law there were seven grounds for a legal divorce. Bareness was one of those reasons. However, Zachariah never divorced Elizabeth but that did not take away the guilt. Her identity was her closed womb. The dream of a house full of happy children had died. Elizabeth was living with dead hopes!

 

Do you know of anyone who is living with dead hopes? They did nothing wrong but their lives didn’t unfold as they had planned. Their lives are hard and there is no escape. How many stories of dead hopes have you heard lately? They were faithful to the company for years but the company let them go one afternoon. They were faithful to the spouse but the spouse wasn’t faithful to them. They were going to travel in retirement but their spouse died first. Their child married the wrong person and now they are working to pay for their mistake. They spend their lives eating healthy food to live a long healthy life. They are now spending their life organizing the pills and visiting doctors. They saved every dime but the funds are being eroded away by nursing home bills? Do I have to go on? Do you know any one who is living with dead hopes? They did nothing wrong but their lives didn’t unfold as they had planned. Elizabeth was living with dead hopes and for that reason she speaks to us.

 

Today, I want to make three observations about life. They are my observations but that does mean they are exclusive to me. You may have made these observations. It is my experience, people of faith live more hope filled lives then none believers. In the end I hope you appreciate the difference Jesus has made in your life. Each one of these observation is illustrated in Elizabeth’s life. So if you are ready to begin say, “Amen!”

 

Life is hard.

This is observation number one: life is hard. If you don’t believe me then look at the Nativity, itself. Don’t glamorize the story. Don’t get sucked into the tradition; just read the words. Every person in the story was in a difficult situation. Mary was in a difficult situation. It was an unwanted pregnancy. Joseph was in a difficult situation because of this unwanted pregnancy. He has the right to divorce Mary. However, she could be stoned to death. If he takes Mary as his own then he brings shame on himself. He is saying he has broken the abstinence law during the engagement. Zachariah and Elizabeth are in a difficult situation. They have no children and their society demanded children. Do I have to go on? Each one of the characters reminds us that life is hard. Do you know of anyone who has a hard life? Could it be you have a hard life? If you know of someone with a hard life say, “Amen!”

 

There is always hope.

This is observation number two: there is always hope. The scripture does not tell us Elizabeth’s age. She could have been forty. Some women in her society may have been having babies in their early teens. For example, Mary may have been as young as thirteen or fourteen years old. Elizabeth must have wondered a million times what she had done wrong. Why didn’t God bless her and Zachariah with a child? The disappointment of her bareness became part of her life. She was living with dead hopes but with God there is always hope. Earlier in this chapter we learn she has conceived a child, who will be the forerunner of the Messiah. His name would John. We call him John the Baptist. With God there is always hope! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

In seminary I had several jobs. I served a small membership church near Danville, Kentucky, the Pleasant Grove Christian Church. That congregation was filled with tobacco farmers. In the days prior to the Civil War tobacco farmers owned slaves. In our time, tobacco farmers hired seminary students to do unskilled farming tasks. In the spring I pulled tobacco plants. In the fall I cut tobacco. In the winter I stripped tobacco plants. In addition to the church and the farm, I worked for a cleaning service in the city of Lexington and found other odd jobs to pay the bills. Between those part time jobs I went to school. It is a miracle I ever finished school. (I have never considered myself the sharpest tool in the shed.) There were many days I was forced to choose work over studies. It was a hard way to get an education but one semester was truly challenging.

 

It was the semester I finished my Greek requirement. Greek was required to graduate. I had to pass Greek to graduate but I never had any time to study and there was illness at home. As the final examination approached I felt hopeless. I didn’t do anything wrong but they plan wasn’t working. There was so much I didn’t know; there was so much I didn’t understand. Time was running out. I asked the professor to take the test late so I could study. He agreed. He knew I was trying; he knew I needed a break. He told me I could take the test on a Friday morning. He had to turn his grades in by noon. They rest of the finals ended on that Thursday. I remember going to the library on that Thursday night. I was the only one there. I walked to the second floor and sat in my study carol in the corner. My plan was to start at chapter one and master everything I didn’t understand. At first my brain was able to absorb the knowledge. However, as the night went on I grew tired and frustrated.

 

By 9:00 I began to think it was over. My brain couldn’t absorb anymore. Emotions began to swell in my heart. The truth is I began to panic. I had to pass this test. I couldn’t fail because I needed to pass this class to graduate. I needed to pass this class to stay in school. If I didn’t pass the class then all the student loans I had taken out would come due. My parents didn’t want me to go to seminary. They thought it was a waste of time and money. I wasn’t smart enough. A massive dark cloud began to form over my head. I didn’t know what else to do so I began to pray. I prayed, “God, I know you called me into the ministry. Please help me. If you want me to go into the ministry then I need a miracle.” After Amen, I walked around the second floor of that empty library and I wondered what I was going to do next. I sat down in that study carol and tried to compose myself. I began to study again when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the library staff. She told me they were going to close the library early; it was going to close at 10:00. I was the only one in the library. My time was running out. I had no hope. I picked up the Greek book one more time. Then it happened.

 

It was like putting on a pair of glasses. Suddenly, I began to see it. It was a miracle! Miraculously, I began to understand. All the random facts I had collected during that semester began to organize in my brain. I grew emotional again. However, this time it was tears of joy. I walked out of the library that evening at 10:00. At 9:00 in the morning, I took my Greek final. I would love to tell you I got a 100%, A. I didn’t. I got a C. It has been years sense I got that C and I am still proud of it. That Thursday was an incredible night in my life. For on that night in Wilmore, Kentucky God did something for me. It started with little hope; it went to no hope. It ended with unbelievable joy and hope. There is always hope. When was the last time you succeeded in the face of hopelessness? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

In the end, God wins!

This is my third and final observation: In the end, God wins! You know what happens beyond our scripture reading. Elizabeth gives birth to John; Mary gives birth to Jesus. John dies by being decapitated; Jesus dies on the cross. In time both babies die but there is a happy ending. Because, both men played out their part in God’s plan of salvation. However, that divine truth did not numb the agony of their loved ones. This is one of the things that is difficult for our near sighted secular world, who wants all the problems eliminated now. There is an excellent chance your problems will not be eliminated in your lifetime. I hope you are developing an eternal perspective. It is only from that perspective that you can see it. In the end, God wins! If you believe that to be true say, “Amen!”

 

One of my new favorite places in America is Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. It is not far from here, about 40 miles. I will confess. I have never been there. The only thing I know about Ellwood City comes from the local news. They tell us for over fifty years a Nativity has been sitting in front of their city hall. The residents love the Nativity; it makes a statement about their core values. The problem is a group from Wisconsin called Freedom from Religion doesn’t care for it. They say the Nativity is unconstitutional. At first, they wanted it taken down. Now, they say it can stay but they must hang a banner near it that reads:

 

At this season of the winter solstice, may reason prevail. There are no Gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.

 

This is one of the times the mayor is speaking for the entire community. Tony Court says, “NO WAY!” He knows it and so do you. If religion is just a myth or a superstition then there is no hope. Who wants to lives in a hopeless world? Never under estimate the power of hope. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”