Characters at the Cradle: Mary and Elizabeth, Called by God
Release Date: 12/01/2025
Characters at the Cradle: Mary and Elizabeth, Called by God
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we will continue to look for glimpses of glory throughout the life of Mary, but specifically in the context of her very special relationship with Elizabeth. Both called by God to very high, very important tasks. Let’s briefly recap where we are in the story. Zechariah was visited by Gabriel and given the news that he was going to have a son named John. But because of his unbelief, he was made silent until the birth of his son. Can you imagine for a moment how Zechariah communicated the news to his wife without the ability to speak? Did he write down what the...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary, A Servant of God
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick I hope you are enjoying these characters at the cradle. These are stories of biblical figures who find their lives intersecting with the entrance of Jesus into the world. In each story, you will see so much wonder, purpose and significance. After Mary had the encounter with the angel Gabriel, her response spoke volumes. However, before we see how she responded, do you remember what Zechariah’s response was when Gabriel told him that he would have a son after many years of waiting and praying? Zechariah spoke words of doubt and unbelief, and because of that, he was made mute...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary, Nothing is Impossible
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Mary. Cousin to Elizabeth. Betrothed to Joseph. Visited by the angel Gabriel. While she wore many hats, the most important one was this: Mary, mother of Jesus! After Gabriel visited Mary, she became aware of the divine conception that would take place in her womb. She also found out that her formerly barren cousin, Elizabeth, was now with child. The story of Mary is full of faith, hope, and wonder. Threaded throughout Mary’s life is a strong and fervent belief that with God, nothing is impossible! In fact, these were Gabriel’s last words to Mary (Luke 1:37). Take a moment...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary, Gabriel's Message
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Gabriel’s initial appearance to Mary left her “greatly troubled” as she tried to figure out why he said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” The angel went on to tell Mary not to fear and explained that she had found favor with God. Mary settled into the news that she would bear a son and would call him Jesus. He would be the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Gabriel went on to say that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. With every word that she held in her heart, her fear turned to faith....
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary, The Divine Conception
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick There are many holy and purposeful connections that took place between the Creator of the universe and his creation leading up to Jesus’s entrance into the world. Join me as we continue to look at some of the special characters at the cradle. I love the significance of both Gabriel and Joseph as characters at the cradle. But today, I want to place our focus more specifically on Mary, who played the very special role as mother of the Savior of the world. I left you with a cliffhanger yesterday, thinking about the profound question Mary asked after hearing from Gabriel of the...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary, An Introduction to Gabriel, Mary, and Joseph
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we will continue to look at some more characters whose lives had profound intersections with the cradle of Jesus. Over the past two weeks, we studied Zechariah and Elizabeth. This week, we study Mary, the mother of Jesus. But in order to understand Mary, we have to understand Gabriel and Joseph as well. After Gabriel visited Zechariah with the amazing news that his wife would give birth to a baby named John (the Baptist), God gave him a second assignment. He told him to go visit a young virgin girl named Mary in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. She was betrothed to...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah, Husband to Elizabeth
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick After the encounter with the angel Gabriel and being rendered mute by the Lord, what did Zechariah do next? Luke 1:23 says this of Zechariah: “And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.” To Elizabeth and to his safe place of love and care. I can only imagine how he felt as he pondered all he had just seen and heard, probably praying in his spirit to the Lord about John. And have you ever thought about how he told Elizabeth about his experience with the angel Gabriel? Hand gestures? A game of charade? Writing it out? Surely he found a way to tell her....
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah, Made Speechless
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick In Luke 1:18-22, the angel identified himself as Gabriel. Gabriel also appears in the book of Daniel in chapters 8 and 9. In the Bible, whenever Gabriel came on the scene, he was addressing prophecy about the Messiah. The same holds true in this story with Zechariah. Gabriel came to Zechariah from the presence of God and told him that he was sent by God to share this wonderful, good news of a coming child. After all this information from Gabriel had been given to Zechariah, Zechariah asked the question, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah, Father of John the Baptist
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick John was the long awaited son to Zechariah and Elizabeth. His birth paved the way for Jesus’s birth. His voice prepared the way of the Lord. His life pointed to the soon and coming King. Luke 1:16-17 says this of John: “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” The personal calling of John’s life in God’s story grabs my heart every...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Angelic Visitation
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The story of Zechariah continues in Luke 1:8-15, which we will look at today. While serving as priest, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple during a high holy feast. Take note that even the drawing of straws is under the sovereign hand of Almighty God according to Proverbs 16:33. We serve a mighty God who has a timing and purpose for everything! Undoubtedly, while serving in the temple, Zechariah prayed for Israel, as all priests regularly did. However, I would suppose he also prayed fervently for a child, and probably more specifically a son, as sons were considered a...
info_outlineby David Chadwick
This week, we will continue to look for glimpses of glory throughout the life of Mary, but specifically in the context of her very special relationship with Elizabeth. Both called by God to very high, very important tasks.
Let’s briefly recap where we are in the story.
Zechariah was visited by Gabriel and given the news that he was going to have a son named John. But because of his unbelief, he was made silent until the birth of his son.
Can you imagine for a moment how Zechariah communicated the news to his wife without the ability to speak? Did he write down what the angel Gabriel had said to him? Or maybe he used hand signals like a game to get her to guess that she would have a child in her old age? It’s fun to think about this!
Now, try to imagine what Elizabeth must have felt as she processed Gabriel’s visit to her husband. To know that she was called by God. After years of prayers and waiting, she would finally have a son! Per Gabriel’s specific instructions, she was to name the baby John, a name that means “God is gracious.” John sure lived up to his name! He was a demonstration of God’s grace to both Zechariah and Elizabeth, and his life’s mission was to pave the way for Jesus, the fullness of grace (John 1:16), to walk out his life on earth.
Afterwards, Gabriel appeared to a young virgin girl named Mary, who we began to study last week. Also called by God, Mary loved God and was a true example of Godly womanhood.
God chose Mary to bear the Son of God, Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Her child would be named Jesus. He would be the Savior of the world, forgiving humanity of its sin and restoring people to the heart of the Father. The Holy Spirit’s presence overshadowed Mary’s humanity and paved the way for the incarnation of Jesus, God in human form.
This week, as we look at Mary and Elizabeth’s very special relationship, remember that their closeness was deeper than being biological cousins or even being close friends. They carried similar callings. They were both called by God to extremely hard tasks for his kingdom.
I like to think that there is no greater closeness than the kind that is formed while living on a common mission for Jesus. There is no greater joy than to work alongside other believers to see the gospel message go forward. Mary and Elizabeth shared this kind of closeness and joy with one another!
I would encourage you, too, to prioritize relationships with others who are called by God to live on mission for Jesus and his kingdom!