Click here to watch out our fourth storybook entry! Did you find “baby Jesus” the other times? Keep your eye’s open and see if you can spot him today!

Also, did you find “baby Jesus” last Sunday?! Make sure when you go to Grow Zone this coming Sunday you look for him!

All week we learned that though Mary was afraid, she chose to trust God and His plan for her life. This isn’t an easy thing to do.

Today we want to challenge you to have a conversation with your parents. Begin by asking the following question and make sure to answer yourself. Maybe you can even commit to praying for one another about your answers.

What thing or part of your life do you have the hardest time trusting God with?

Today we want to focus on a specific prayer. You can pray this now, or you can pray right before bed.

We know prayer can be hard sometimes because you have to be quiet and focus, but prayer is important because it is an opportunity for us to talk to God! There isn’t a right way to do this or a perfect formula, you are simply talking to God, giving Him praise, and asking for His help!

Use the prayer below as we continue to remember how Mary felt when she learned she would give birth to Jesus and how she chose to trust God even when she was scared!

God, help me to trust you. Remind me of all the ways you are faithful and loving and give me courage to trust you more. Amen.

Something beautiful happens when Mary visits Elizabeth. It’s something we desperately need to understand about community and faith. Mary has just said yes to God’s overwhelming invitation. She’s pregnant with the Messiah, engaged to a man who doesn’t know yet, living in a culture where her situation could get her killed. She needs someone who will understand, someone who will believe her, someone who will celebrate what God is doing instead of questioning her character.

So she goes to Elizabeth. The moment Mary’s greeting reaches Elizabeth’s ears, something miraculous happens. John, who is still in Elizabeth’s womb, leaps for joy. And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes immediately what God is doing. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

READ

Let’s take a moment to read Luke 1:39-45:

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’

REFLECT

Advent isn’t just about waiting alone; it’s about celebrating together. Mary and Elizabeth remind us of that. Immediately after hearing the news, Mary rushed to her relative Elizabeth’s house. This reminds me of how often we rush to tell our best friends big news to see their reaction and share that moment together. However, I’m sure at some point you’ve experienced the let down of sharing news with a friend. They choose comparison, jealousy, or indifference over excitement or encouragement for you. If we’re being honest, we’ve probably done the same to our friends.

Elizabeth, being in the middle of a miraculous pregnancy herself, could have chosen comparison or minimized Mary’s news. But she doesn’t need the spotlight. She doesn’t compete. She doesn’t minimize Mary’s experience or make it about herself. Instead, she celebrates what God is doing in Mary’s life with pure, unguarded joy.

This is love in action. This is the kind of community God intends. Elizabeth chooses to celebrate Mary instead of buying into gossip, confusion, or complications surrounding this situation. It’s important to note that true friends don’t just cheer blindly, they help us discern what’s real and good. Elizabeth shows the difference. She doesn’t affirm Mary simply because Mary believes something extraordinary. She affirms her because the Holy Spirit reveals that it is from God. Elizabeth’s joy is Spirit-led, not just sentiment. 

Encouragement is most powerful when it’s rooted in recognizing God’s presence and purposes, not just in making someone feel good.

These words from Elizabeth are so powerful: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Elizabeth recognizes that Mary’s blessing isn’t just about being chosen, it’s about believing. It’s about trusting God’s word even when circumstances seem impossible. And Elizabeth names that faith, celebrates it, strengthens it.

We need more friends like Elizabeth in our lives, people who can spot what God is doing in us, even when it looks messy, confusing, or different from what everyone expects. We need people who don’t just judge by appearances but who call out the good, speak encouragement, and remind us that following God is worth it.

We also need to be that kind of friend for others too. We need to learn how to notice God at work in other people’s lives and actually say it out loud, to encourage them, to bless them, and to help them keep going when it’s hard.

Elizabeth’s ability to bless Mary didn’t come out of nowhere. She herself had just experienced God’s faithfulness in a deeply personal way, becoming pregnant after years of barrenness and disappointment. Because she had seen God keep His word in her own life, she was able to recognize and affirm His faithfulness in Mary’s life.

Think about the gift Elizabeth gave Mary in that moment. Mary came needing confirmation that she wasn’t crazy, that what God spoke to her was real. And Elizabeth, through recognition and affirmation, strengthened Mary’s faith for the journey ahead.

Who needs that from you today? Who needs you to recognize and celebrate what God is doing in their life? Who needs you to speak blessing over their obedience, even when it looks different from what you expected?

And maybe you’re the one who needs an Elizabeth right now. Maybe you’re trying to follow what God has asked you to do, and you need someone to recognize it, affirm it, and celebrate it with you. Don’t be afraid to look for that kind of support. God gives us community for a reason.

Advent reminds us that God’s promises are not meant to be carried alone but celebrated in community. Just as Elizabeth affirmed Mary’s faith, we are called to encourage one another in their obedience and trust. Joy multiplies when we recognize God’s work in each other’s lives. This season, Advent invites us to be the kind of friends who cheer each other on in faith, reminding one another that with God, even what feels impossible can become possible.

• How can you become more intentional about celebrating God’s work in others instead of comparing or competing?

• When has someone spoken blessing and affirmation over your obedience to God, and how did that impact you?

PRAY

Lord, help us see what You're doing in the lives of those around us. Help us become people who celebrate Your work, speak blessing, and encourage faith. Forgive us for the times we've compared, competed, or stayed silent when we should have celebrated. Make us a community that strengthens each other's faith through acknowledging goodness and joy. Amen.

READ

Something beautiful happens when Mary visits Elizabeth—something we desperately need to understand about community and faith.

Mary has just said yes to God's overwhelming invitation. She's pregnant with the Messiah, engaged to a man who doesn't know yet, living in a culture where her situation could get her killed. She needs someone who will understand, someone who will believe her, someone who will celebrate what God is doing instead of questioning her character.

So she goes to Elizabeth.

The moment Mary's greeting reaches Elizabeth's ears, something miraculous happens. John—still in Elizabeth's womb—leaps for joy. And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes immediately what God is doing.

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Let’s take a moment to read Luke 1:39-45:

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

REFLECT

Let's pause here. Elizabeth is older, more established, six months further along in her own miraculous pregnancy. Culturally, she's the one who should be honored. But she doesn't need the spotlight. She doesn't compete. She doesn't minimize Mary's experience or make it about herself. Instead, she celebrates what God is doing in Mary's life with pure, unguarded joy.

This is what love looks like. This is what community is supposed to be.

Elizabeth sees past the scandalous optics—unmarried teenager, pregnant, claiming divine intervention. She sees past what people will say, past the complications, past the confusion. She sees God at work, and she celebrates it. She affirms it. She speaks blessing over it.

Then Elizabeth says something that hits me every time: "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

Elizabeth recognizes that Mary's blessing isn't just about being chosen—it's about believing. It's about trusting God's word even when circumstances seem impossible. And Elizabeth names that faith, celebrates it, strengthens it.

We need more Elizabeths in our lives. We need people who can recognize and celebrate what God is doing in us, even when it looks messy or unconventional. We need people who see past the surface and speak life, blessing, and encouragement into our obedience.

But here's the flip side: we need to BE more like Elizabeth. We need to develop eyes that see God at work in others and mouths that speak blessing over it.

How often do we do the opposite? Someone shares what God is doing in their life, and we immediately compare, compete, or critique. We minimize their experience because we're struggling with our own. We question their story because it doesn't fit our expectations. We stay silent when we should celebrate because we're too focused on our own needs.

Elizabeth shows us a different way. Her own miracle—pregnant after decades of barrenness—doesn't make her dismissive of Mary's miracle. It makes her MORE able to recognize and celebrate God's work. Her own encounter with God's faithfulness creates capacity to affirm God's faithfulness in someone else's life.

This is how the body of Christ is supposed to work. We recognize what God is doing in each other. We speak blessing over it. We celebrate it. We create safe spaces where people can be vulnerable about what God is asking of them, knowing they'll be met with encouragement rather than judgment.

Think about the gift Elizabeth gave Mary in that moment. Mary came needing confirmation that she wasn't crazy, that what God spoke to her was real. And Elizabeth, through recognition and affirmation, strengthened Mary's faith for the journey ahead.

Who needs that from you today? Who needs you to recognize and celebrate what God is doing in their life? Who needs you to speak blessing over their obedience, even when it looks different from what you expected?

And maybe you're the one who needs an Elizabeth right now. Maybe you're walking in obedience to something God has called you to, and you need someone to recognize it, affirm it, celebrate it. Don't be afraid to seek that out. God gives us community for a reason.

The Incarnation—God's love expressed in human flesh—happened through community. Through Mary and Elizabeth recognizing God's work in each other. Through Joseph choosing to trust. Through a cast of characters willing to participate in something bigger than themselves.

God's love is still expressed that way—through us recognizing and celebrating His work in each other.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• Who in your life needs you to recognize and celebrate what God is doing in them right now?

• When has someone spoken blessing and affirmation over your obedience to God, and how did that impact you?

• How can you become more intentional about celebrating God's work in others instead of comparing or competing?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Lord, give us eyes to see what You're doing in the lives of those around us. Help us become people who celebrate Your work, speak blessing, and encourage faith. Forgive us for the times we've compared, competed, or stayed silent when we should have celebrated. Make us a community that strengthens each other's faith through recognition and joy. Amen.