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Blessed Are You Among Women!
Mary received the biggest news of human
history, the coming of the Messiah through her
Mary set aside her own agenda and "went with
haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy
is entering the final trimester and no doubt this older mother is tired
and in need of assistance. Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in
history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow. Mary was
obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and
questions to help Elizabeth. Mary's virtue shines through here, and God throws
in a little reward - a miraculous and joyful greeting from Elizabeth. As you
celebrate Christmas, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the
mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart." Think of
the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy
even in the midst of trials.
by Sarah Phillips
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the
hill country, to the city of Judah, and she entered the house of
Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe
leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she
exclaimed with a loud cry,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
“For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears,
the babe in my womb leaped for joy.
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." - Luke 1: 39 - 45
Chances
are, this past week, you've been rushing around trying to get last-minute
errands completed.
I
had a mental list of "must do's" running through my own head.
So
as I read the gospel for the final Sunday of Advent, I
was struck by how Mary prepared for Christ's coming.
Mary
received the biggest news of human history, the coming of the Messiah
(through her?!), and what did she do?
Mary
set aside her own agenda and "went with haste" to visit her
cousin Elizabeth.
At
this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy is entering the final trimester and no
doubt this older mother is tired and in need of assistance.
I
imagine Mary must have had a lot of thoughts running through her head on the
way to Judah.
"Is Elizabeth really pregnant in her old age? She
must be… but really? And how am I going
to explain my situation to Elizabeth? Will she believe me?"
Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow.
This
simple story of two pregnant women meeting carries so many implications. Some
of the themes that stick out to me include:
1. Mary's faith. Mary
was obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and
questions to help Elizabeth.
Mary's virtue
shines through here, and God throws in a little reward - a miraculous and
joyful greeting from Elizabeth.
2. Elizabeth's selflessness. Elizabeth's news is a pretty big deal. Her husband
receives a vision from an angel and she conceives in her old age after years of
waiting.
Yet, her first
response focuses not on her big news, but on Mary's.
This reveals
Elizabeth's virtue and also adds emphasis to the reality that Mary's news holds
even more profound implications for humanity than Elizabeth's miracle.
3. The humanity of the unborn. In those days, pregnant women didn't enjoy the
luxury of ultrasound technology.
Yet, God makes
the humanity of these little ones very clear here.
Elizabeth
exclaims, "And why is this granted me, that the mother
of my Lord should come to me?"
Elizabeth refers
to Mary as "mother" in the present tense and she refers to the
growing baby inside of Mary (who probably wasn't even showing yet) with his
proper title: Lord.
God was "with
us" the moment Mary conceived, and even the unborn John the Baptist
recognized this!
4. God works through fellow human beings. God could have found any number of ways to
communicate his message that day.
He also brought
help to Elizabeth during her last trimester through Mary and comfort to the newly
pregnant Mary through Elizabeth.
5. God's love for women. How can there be any doubt that God has a special
place in his heart for the fairer sex after reading of Mary and Elizabeth's
stories?
God could have
arrived on earth in any form he chose… and while the rest of the world remained
ignorant, two women basked in the presence and knowledge of the Lord.
I am
sure great theologians can extract even more from this story, but I'll leave it
here for today.
As
you celebrate Christmas, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the
mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
Intersecting
Faith & Life: How has
God been present in your life this holiday season?
Think of the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy even in the midst of trials.
Sarah
Phillips,
Crosswalk.com’s Family Editor, embraced faith in Christ at an unlikely phase in
her life: as a skeptical undergraduate at Virginia Tech. She now enjoys putting
her VT English degree to use at the Salem Web Network by observing and
reflecting on cultural trends, marriage, family life, and the human condition
through the lens of Christianity. When she’s not writing or editing, Sarah
enjoys spending time with her husband, Corey.
https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/sarah-phillips/blessed-are-you-among-women.html
You
might also like:
Breath Of
Heaven
(Mary’s Song)
The Nativity Story
Amy Grant
CLICK
HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .
https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2017/12/breath-of-heaven-marys-song-nativity.html
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