Judges 13:2-7, 24-25 / Luke 1:5-25
Most married couples have a hope and a longing - they hope to have children.
No doubt, when children come along in a marriage, it will be a life-changing as well as a life-challenging experience.
Children are a profound sign of the fruit of love in a marriage and certainly children brings much joy to the parents because their union have brought about another life.
Yet with children, the parents are now called to unite themselves even deeper in love to make the sacrifices for bringing up their children.
But for married couples who are not able to have children, their hopes and dreams may have come to a stand-still because they just cannot be fulfilled.
Today's scripture readings tell of two married couples who were barren - Manoah and his wife, and Zechariah and Elizabeth.
They did not chose to be childless; they just couldn't have children. Certainly they had hoped for children and in the culture of that time, children was a sign of blessings, and barrenness a curse.
When God looked with favour on these two couples and granted them sons, it was for them a life-changing and life-challenging experience.
They are to bring up their sons and form them for the work that God had in store for them.
As for us, God has granted us His greatest blessings by giving us His only Son. It must be a life-changing and life-challenging experience for us.
May the gift of God's only Son form us to continue the work that His Son had began on earth.