The Gospel according to Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."  And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

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WHERE WAS SHE TO GO? WHAT WAS SHE TO DO, THIS YOUNG 14 YEAR OLD, MARY, FROM THE SMALL COASTAL VILLAGE OF NAZARETH?

RECENTLY A SURPRISING THING HAD HAPPENED TO HER. SHE HAD RECEIVED A VISIT FROM AN ANGEL, GABRIEL. HE TOLD HER SHE WAS FAVORED BY GOD AND THAT SHE WAS TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE LONG AWAITED SAVIOR “OF WHOSE KINGDOM THERE WILL BE NO END.” PREGNANT, BEFORE MARRIAGE, BEFORE HAVING HAS ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH HER BETROTHED, JOSEPH? A SCANDAL IN THOSE TIMES. HOW EMBARRASSED HER FAMILY WOULD BE! THEY COULDN’T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND. AND JOSEPH? HE WOULD BE REALLY MYSTIFIED. THE ANGEL TOLD HER AS WELL THAT HER COUSIN ELIZABETH, MUCH OLDER THAN SHE, WAS ALSO PREGNANT. HEAVENS, SHE WAS MUCH BEYOND CHILD BEARING YEARS! AND YET IT HAD BEEN HER LIFE’S DESIRE TO BEAR A CHILD WITH HER HUSBAND ZECHARIAH. AND NOW SHE TOO IS EXPECTING.

WHAT SHOULD SHE DO? AS SHE PONDERED,
THE ANSWER CAME TO MARY. SHE WOULD LEAVE NAZARETH AND HEAD TO THE HILLS OF JUDEA WHERE ELIZABETH AND THE PRIEST, ZECHARIAH, LIVED. SHE HAD BEEN WELCOMED THERE MANY TIMES BEFORE AND KNEW THAT THEY WOULD BE GLAD TO SEE HER. SO WITH HASTE SHE HEADED OUT, ALONE, BUT NOT AFRAID.

OF COURSE THEY WEREN’T EXPECTING HER. ZECHARIAH HAD BEEN MUTE SINCE HIS WIFE’S CONCEPTION BECAUSE HE HAD LAUGHED AT THE PROMISE THAT THE ANGEL HAD MADE, THAT HIS ELDERLY WIFE WOULD BEAR HIM A SON. SO THE TWO HAD BEEN LIVING IN ISOLATED AND SILENT ANTICIPATION. IT WAS A JOYFUL MOMENT WHEN MARY APPEARED AT THEIR DOOR AND GREETED THEM. ELIZABETH SENSED IMMEDIATELY A DIVINE SIGN AS HER BABY JUMPED IN HER BELLY IN RESPONSE TO MARY. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, ELIZABETH RETURNS MARY’S GREETING, PROCLAIMING A LOUD BENEDICTION, “BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB.” THEN SHE ASKS A QUESTION. “AND WHAT IS THIS THAT THE MOTHER OF MY LORD SHOULD COME TO ME. FOR AS SOON AS I HEARD THE SOUND OF YOUR GREETING, THE CHILD IN MY WOMB LEAPED FOR JOY.”  

NEEDLESS TO SAY, MARY WAS AMAZED AT THIS STRONG AFFIRMATION OF HER ALMOST DISGRACEFUL CONDITION. SUCH AN HONOR IT WAS TO BE CALLED “MOTHER OF MY LORD,” ALMOST BEWILDERING. AND THEN ELIZABETH BLESSED HER AGAIN. “BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED THAT THERE WOULD BE A FULFILLMENT OF WHAT WAS SPOKEN TO HER BY THE LORD.” THESE WERE SUCH SUPPORTIVE WORDS, WORDS THAT MARY NEEDED TO HEAR. AND WITH THOSE WORDS, SHE WAS LIFTED UP. SHE UNDERSTOOD AT THAT MOMENT THAT WHAT GOD HAD DONE FOR HER WAS A BLESSING RATHER THAN A DILEMMA.

MARY DOESN’T HESISTATE BEFORE ANSWERING. OUT OF HER HEART SHE SINGS THAT WONDERFUL, FAMILIAR CANTICLE WE HAVE JUST SUNG, THE MAGNIFICAT. ELIZABETH HAS BLESSED MARY TWICE. NOW “ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL HER BLESSED.”

I THINK IT IS QUITE WONDERFUL TO HEAR THE WORDS, THE SONGS, THE EXPERIENCES THAT THESE TWO WOMEN SHARE. FOR EACH OF THEM THIS IS A NEW HAPPENING, CARRYING NEW LIFE IN THEIR BODIES. FOR BOTH THIS IS TOTALLY UNEXPLAINABLE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS. NO, THEY ARE NOT IMPORTANT PEOPLE, A FAR CRY FROM THE PRIVILEGED WOMEN OF THEIR TIME. AND YET IN THEIR HUMILTY AND FAITH THEY CAN ONLY RESPOND WITH JOY AND BELIEF. OF COURSE, THEY HAVE NO REAL AWARENESS OF THE FACT THAT THEIR TWO SONS WILL IN TIME IMPACT THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD IN WAYS THAT NO ONE WOULD OR COULD PREDICT. BUT EACH OF THEM TRUSTS THAT GOD WILL SUSTAIN HER.

I ADMIT THAT EACH TIME I HAVE READ THIS CHAPTER OF SCRIPTURE THIS WEEK, I FIND MYSELF REJOICING WITH THESE TWO WOMEN. BUT AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND I HAVE, ON THE OTHER HAND, BEEN VERY MUCH SADDENED THIS WEEK AS I HAVE WATCHED OUR FRIEND BEVERLY BECOME WEAKER AND LESS RESPONSIVE. AND YET, WHEN I COME BACK TO THIS READING AND FIND MYSELF CELEBRATING, I REALIZE I AM CELEBRATING THE FACT THAT GOD LOVES US ENOUGH TO ACT IN OUR LIVES. IT’S CLEAR TO ME THAT GOD’S ACTION CAN BE ONE OF CALLING US TO HIM AT THE END OF OUR JOURNEY, AS WELL AS GIVING NEW LIFE TO THE WORLD.

THESE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THERE ARE ONLY FOUR, WE WILL NO DOUBT BE TOTALLY INVOLVED IN THE WONDERFUL ACTIONS OF “GETTING READY.” WE ARE GETTING READY FOR COMPANY COMING, WE ARE GETTING READY WRAPPING PRESENTS, WE ARE GETTING FOOD IN THE HOUSE, AND DECORATING. BUT IN OUR “GETTING READY” ARE WE READY TO HAVE GOD COME INTO OUR LIVES, TO THE VERY LEAST OF US, TO PLANT IN OUR LIVES GOD’S OWN LIFE, GOD’S OWN HOPE, GOD’S OWN PROMISE OF PEACE?

GOD MAY COME WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT IT AS GOD CAME TO MARY AND ELIZABETH. IN OUR BUSINESS, IT WILL BE FORTUNATE IF WE RECOGNIZE IT AND REALLY TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD.  

FOR ME THAT MEANS TRUSTING THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT GOD CAN’T DO. AT TIMES I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THIS, SO MUCH AROUND SPEAKS TO ME OF THE ABSENCE OF GOD. FOR INSTANCE THERE IS SO MUCH PAIN AROUND US TODAY, A WAR IN IRAQ, HUNGER IN SO MANY AFRICAN COUNTRIES, AIDS SPREADING LIKE WILD FIRE, CORRUPTION AND DISHONESTY IN OUR COUNTRY, AND ON AND ON. AND YET IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP ON BELIEVING IN GOD’S POWER TO SAVE. IT HELPS IF WE CAN HEAR THE MESSAGES OF HOPE AND JOY THAT CAME INTO THE HEARTS OF MARY AND ELIZABETH? THEY ARE THE SAME MESSAGES FOR US, OF REAL HOPE AND REAL JOY, THE KIND THAT BEGINS DEEP INSIDE. GOD WANTS US TO CARRY THE CHRIST INSIDE OF US, AND TO BRING HIM TO OTHERS WHO DON’T KNOW HIM.  

I GUESS WHAT WE REALLY ARE CALLED TO DO THESE LAST FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS IS TO STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN, TRUSTING THAT OUT OF THE DARKNESS WE WILL BE ABLE TO FEEL THAT WONDERFUL SENSE OF ANTICIPATION, WAITING FOR THE LIGHT OF JESUS TO COME.

I LOVE THE HYMNS AND READINGS THIS LAST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. MICAH, THE PROPHET TELLS US THAT OUT OF BETHLEHEM WILL COME SOME ONE WHO IS TO RULE ISRAEL. “HE SHALL STAND AND FEED HIS FLOCK IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD” “HE SHALL BE GREAT TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND HE SHALL BE ONE OF PEACE.” THE WRITER OF HEBREWS ASSURES US THAT THE OLD ORDER HAS PASSED AWAY, THAT GOD NO LONGER TAKES PLEASURE IN BURNT OFFERING AND SIN OFFERINGS BUT THAT WE ARE TO BE OBEDIENT AND DO GOD’S WILL.

BUT IT IS LUKE WHO TELLS US ABOUT THAT CHRIST CHILD, JESUS, WHO’S BIRTH WE WILL SOON CELEBRATE. AND IT IS THESE TWO GOOD WOMEN, ELIZABETH AND MARY WHO SPEAK MOST LOUDLY. I CAN ALMOST HEAR THEM PROCLAIMING, “MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD AND MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOR.”

The Rev. Ruth T. Healy - Priest Associate

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