I spent some time visiting a couple of families this week and learning about the family connections: who is related to whom and who married into what family and all that. I can say for sure that the term “church family” is an appropriate way to describe Masonboro. That’s really similar to the way communities in firstcentury Judea were connected, the connections were not just geographic but familial. We talked about Zechariah and Elizabeth, who Gabriel promises a son despite their “very old” age. This pregnancy sends ripples out into their whole community: It’s what everybody is talking about. I think we can see much of ourselves in the way this community reacts to Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Something big is happening in their village that will stretch out over all of Israel and holds true for us today.