Christmas is almost upon us. On the secular calendar, Christmas is over at midnight. But in the church year, the season of Christmas begins on the 25th and hangs around for a little while. I think the church calendar has it right. Christmas is just the beginning of what God is doing. This year for Advent, we’ve looked at the characters in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. For this last week of the series, we’ll turn to the real heroes of the story, Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth and Mary are faithful from the beginning. They believe the word of God that Gabriel brings them and submit to God’s call in their lives. They usher in a new era of God’s work in the world. Elizabeth and Mary challenge us to accept God’s call in our lives and to look forward to what new thing Christmas might begin in us.