Yesterday was a rainy and dreary morning so I cheered myself up by listening to Luis’s last two sermons at www.stjohns-dc.org. I recommend them both.
(Elizabeth said), This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people. — Luke 1:25
Elizabeth has for years born shame for something that was never her fault. We feel her heartbreak. We have all experienced shame as well. It is a powerful emotion, uniquely painful, and perhaps more than any emotion, stays with us. Shame can show up time and time again and when it happens we feel inadequate to the core.
I believe shame is one of the strongest emotions that keeps us from the transformative power of hope and the presence of God. We must be ever mindful of its existence and take positive steps to address it.
Advent and the hope it offers is a wonderful time to lose the hold that shame has on us. Focus on the hope God offered Elizabeth, focus on the hope a new child brings, and most importantly focus on the hope God offers us each and every day.
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