Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria Va

When it became clear that I was going to be preaching on the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday on which we light the pink candle of joy, I was thrilled to be presented with this section of New Testament gold, Elizabeth and Mary, two women, both great with child, bonding and caring for one another, and the emotionally stunning Magnificat. It is not that often in our sacred text that we explore encounters between two women, especially encounters between two women with dialogue. It is also not common for us to witness characters in our sacred story burst into song. Yet both of those holy signifiers shine forth from the page like the Advent candles we just lit indicating that something special, something unique, something full of Advent joy is present here. Rev. Jacob Bolton preaches on the Third Sunday of Advent. The scripture lesson is Luke 1:35-56.