Week 1
Waiting with Emptiness with Elizabeth…
Luke 1: 5-7, 24-25, 39-66
For long, long years Elizabeth had been obedient but remained barren.
Now she is elderly, but shamed by her neighbors because she is without child.
The lonely hours and days carve deep spaces in her soul. Not allowing anger and bitterness to trap her heart, Elizabeth learns to sit in the pain of that space, and thus the table of compassion and hospitality is spread within her.
When God answers her prayers, her solitude blossoms into a safe space—
for Zechariah and his silence,
for the new life within Elizabeth,
for Mary, a young woman needing refuge,
for her neighbors, and the forming of community …
as they celebrate together the naming of John.
Reflection
What emptiness do you bring into this quiet space? Feel welcomed, safe, heard. Who are the Elizabeths who are helping you to recognize and name the sign of God within you?
Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Living God,
You breathe in us on all that is
inadequate and fragile.
You make living water spring even
from our hurts themselves.
And through You, the valley of tears
becomes a place of wellsprings.