In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27)
Advent begins not with spectacle, but with hidden timing—God waiting for faith to mature in quiet places before acting openly. Elizabeth stayed in seclusion for five months. The passage begins by drawing our attention to God’s timing: “In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary.” There is something deliberate and revealing about this timing. God’s action with Mary seems responsive to Elizabeth’s long season of hidden waiting.
Perhaps Elizabeth waited to see if this baby would survive. Perhaps she had known miscarriages before and wanted to confirm God’s word to her while living quietly with silent Zechariah. Both of them waited—maybe with doubts in their hearts. Perhaps they were familiar with this kind of anxiety and had learned disappointment from it. In the quiet, God seems to allow Elizabeth’s faith and hope to ripen, both for herself and for her coming meeting with Mary.
Elizabeth’s recorded words may reflect a slow recognition of God’s faithfulness to Zechariah. They may be the joy that finally emerged at the end of her seclusion: “In these days of seclusion he has shown his grace to me!” Now she could step into the joy of pregnancy rather than hide with the pain of loss from friends and family.
At this sacred moment in Elizabeth’s life, God sends Gabriel to Mary with both warning and hope. Mary is told that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her—echoing the Spirit hovering over the face of the deep at the beginning of creation. A new creation is beginning. God is gentle with his prophets and his people. He speaks with them before he acts, preparing them for what is to come. Mary’s faith was not blind; it was invited, informed, and sustained by God’s words to her.
Advent often unfolds this way for us as well—faith growing quietly, out of view, before joy is ready to be shared. Much of God’s work in us happens before we feel permitted to rejoice.
Prayer
Lord, you favored Mary with clear communication and faithful companions on her path of obedience. Favor us as well. We need your voice to make sense of our lives, and we need companions for the journey we walk with you. Meet us in our hidden seasons. Open our ears to your words and our eyes to the friends you place along our way. Amen.
Advent Action
You may not see an angel this season, but today listen carefully for God’s message through your conversations and encounters. Ask God to open your eyes to companions who are walking the Way of Jesus alongside you. Consider writing down one moment today when God’s message came through another person.
