"After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
'The Lord has done this for me,' she said. 'In these days he has shown his favor and taken
away my disgrace among the people.'" Luke 1:25
We all know the weight of disgrace, of shame that pierces our hearts with its sharp corners. Ours may be hidden, or it may be well-known, but either way we are familiar with the darkness that hovers around the edges of our minds. We long for freedom, but somehow can't seem to find our way clear. We see it in the eyes of those around us, we sense it in the undertones of conversation. Even when we look at ourselves in the mirror, our own eyes seem to condemn us. Whether we carry this shame and disgrace because of something we've done, or it is just the result of the wrongful judgements of others, the pain is no less severe. This was Elizabeth's reality day after day, every month that her womb remained empty. The years and the shame piled up, and there was nothing she could do to relieve her suffering. She knew that no matter how righteously she lived her life, how generously she gave of herself, and no matter how faithful she was to God, she would always be looked upon as one out of favor with the Lord because he had not granted her children. She knew that every time she went to synagogue or shopped in the marketplace the eyes of everyone were not just looking at her with pity, but with judgement as well. Then God steps in, and we hear Elizabeth speak these great words of hope, "The Lord...has taken away my disgrace..."
Regardless of the cause of our shame and disgrace - whether it is ours to own because of our sin, or what comes from the sinful judgement of others, freedom can be found. We can be released from the heavy darkness that shadows us and find joy and peace in Jesus. The God that met Elizabeth in her pain and removed her disgrace is the same gracious God that takes away ours. Our God, full of love and compassion, made a way for us to be saved - not just from sin, but from its shame and disgrace as well. On a hill outside of Jerusalem the Innocent One was condemned, the Perfect One shamed, and the Righteous One made guilty. He took it all. There is nothing left for us to carry - not our sin, not our shame, or the disgrace that comes from the condemnation of others. "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame" (Psalm 34:5, NIV). Advent's beauty is found in the light of the cross, and it is there that we find freedom.