1:39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town
in the hill country,
1:40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her
womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
1:42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
1:43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord
comes to me?
1:44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in
my womb leaped for joy.
1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."
1:46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is
his name.
1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to
generation.
1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted
up the lowly;
1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich
away empty.
1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham
and to his descendants forever."
Comments:
and the child leaped in her womb... The faith of a child is a very
powerful thing they have no understanding of science or of the other
things which get in our way to believe How did Elizabeth know that
her child's movement was related to the new Mary brought her? How
did Elizabeth know that mary was pregnant with the Messiah? Michele
PA
Why did Mary go to Elizabeth in the first place? She was not told to
go. Yet she went with haste and eagerness. This great thing that has
happened to her she needed to share with someone who would recognize
it for what it really was. The result of her sharing the excitement
and praise is the Magnificat. just a thought. Jeff in VA.
Jeff, I would offer a second opinion on why she went to Elizabeth.
Having been pregnant, it was both an exciting and scary time for me.
I could imagine that Mary even with her acceptance would have had
some big time fears. Even with trust in God, a woman unmarried,
young and pregnant could have been in much danger. We look back at
what a marvellous calling this was, and it is, but on the other hand
we didn't live in the culture of the time. Angels didn't appear to
her family, only to her. Joseph visited in a dream. Elizabeth may
have been a very close aunt and well she may have gone to celebrate,
I would think she went for Woman talk... the stuff of pregnancy and
maybe even safety... just my opinion. Nancy-Wi
Luke presents Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary,
the mother of Jesus, as women who are filled with the Holy Spirit
and with faith. We hear Elizabeth's inspired greeting and Mary's
song of praise: God is among the lowly and the hungry.
Today we are invited to think of human bodies. In today's second
reading, the author of the book of Hebrews cites the words of Psalm
40 (in the Greek version) as if Jesus himself were speaking them to
God the Father. "When Christ came into the world, he said, '...a
body you have prepared for me.'" Ordinarily we don't think of bodies
being prepared by God (except for Adam and Eve, of course). But the
two Advent 4 baby boys, John and Jesus, are not ordinary children.
Consider how the bodies of these boys were extraordinary.
Look to the mothers. In John's case, Zechariah put it mildly: "My
wife is getting on in years" (Luke 1:18). This child was
custom-built by God--"even before his birth, he will be filled with
the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:15). When Mary arrived carrying Jesus in
her womb, John, in the womb of Elizabeth, leaped for joy (Luke
1:44). Think of God's knowing the hands of this baby would have to
grasp the bars of a prison cell. Or think of that baby's neck and
Herod's henchmen...
Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus...the annunciation...the stable
birth of the child. How true that the boy Jesus could have grown up
to say, "A body you have prepared for me." That body had to be
strong, healthy, with muscular legs to walk all over Palestine, to
walk to Golgotha--a body to last thirty-three years, until, legs
broken, it was laid to rest in a tomb--only to get up again on the
third day. That body prepared for him he voluntarily and obediently
offered for us and for our salvation.
A third special Advent body to consider--yours. "Present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rom 12:1). As we
await the celebration of God's incarnation, we already celebrate the
ways God uses bodies--including our own!
George W. Hoyer
One can hardly imagine a more humble, ordinary scene: two pregnant
women talking in a small Judean town. And yet, in this ordinary
moment a revolution is beginning that will turn the world on its
head. It is a reversal of all the world's expectations of power,
justice, and salvation. And it is exactly how God works.
A saviour had been promised to the world, and it was hoped that this
saviour would change the political and social landscape of
Jerusalem, much like King David did 1000 years earlier. No one could
possibly believe that two women - one old and one very young - would
be the prophets God would choose.
But that's exactly what the writer of Luke says is happening. Mary
is excited after her visit from the angel Gabriel, and so she
travels to her relative Elizabeth's home in the Judean hill country
to share the good news. As she enters, Elizabeth's unborn child -
the future prophet, John - leaps in joy at Mary's greeting. God is
coming in flesh and blood into the world, and this saviour shatters
all expectations of what power and might looks like. God loves what
is meek and ordinary and too often overlooked.
The writer of Luke reminds the readers then and now that God comes
in ways that surprise us and fill us with joy. Peasants are the ones
who bring plenty; women are the ones to nurture a revolution; and
God chooses to work in and through the most powerless among us.
God has also chosen to act in us. We are called to sing with Mary
and Elizabeth. We are filled with a greater power, and our ordinary
lives bear God to the world.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of
what was spoken to her by the Lord.
I am struck by that final sentence (if one chooses to end at v.45).
The blessedness of believing that what God promises will be
fulfilled. We are dealing right now w/ some budget and stewardship
issues and the difficulty that some people have (some more than
others; all of us to an extent, I would wager) of trusting that God
WILL provide the $$ needed for the ministry GOD wants us to do.
Some time ago, I picked up a greeting card w/ the following story
printed on the front: "The fields were parched and brown. The crops
lay wilting from thirst. Local ministers called for an hour of
prayer on the town square, asking everyone to bring an object of
faith for inspiration. The townspeople filled the sqare with anxious
faces and hopeful hearts, a variety of objects clutched in prayerful
hands--holy books, crosses, rosaries. When the hour had ended, as if
on magical command, a soft rain began to fall. Cheers swept the
crowd as they held their treasured objects high in gratitude and
praise. One faith symbol seemed to overshadow all the others: A
9-year-old child had brought an umbrella." (Adapted by Laverne W.
Hall)
Heidi in MN
I greatly appreciate the thoughts offered by George Hoyer! Thank you
for a beautiful way of looking at this text. I would mention only
one, nit-picky little thing: You wrote, "That body had to be strong,
healthy, with muscular legs to walk all over Palestine, to walk to
Golgotha--a body to last thirty-three years, until, legs broken, it
was laid to rest in a tomb--only to get up again on the third day."
But Jesus' legs were NOT broken at the crucifixion, since the
soldiers saw that he was already dead.
Heidi in MN
Why go to Elizabeth? Who else would she go to? Gabriel tells Mary
that even now Elizabeth is pregnant-- a miracle has taken place in
both women and Mary needs someone who will believe her story about
Gabriel- would Mary's parents have appreciated it?
I think Elizabeth was the only person who could understand Mary. I
always imagined a letter or some kind of communication coming to
Mary's family about Elizabeth's pregnancy just after Mary's
enocunter with Gabriel-- and that letter / communication gave mary
the courage to tell her family what she had been told.
I've even done a one person skit of Elizabeth talking to Zechariah
(who is now silent) reading and commenting on a letter from Mary
annoucing her coming- telling how her parents don't belive her- but
she knws they will because she has heard of Zechariah's own
encounter with the angel.
It gives much room for thought and imagination. I won't go there
this year as I have been there and done that but thought I would
share.
Michele PA
Grr... sorry about that. I am thinking about God's tendency to use
the young and the old. Another familiar theme- maybe ovedone -- but
Elizabeth an older woman- maybe of retirement age- Mary a young
girl. God's tendency to use the young- David, Samuel, Jeremiah, and
his tendecy to use the old- those some might consider past their age
of usefulness- Abraham and sarah; Moses, Elizabeth
God always using the least likely ways Jesus in a manger
anyway- my 2nd round of thoughts for the morning
Michele PA
Hello everyone, I have just received this story from a board that I
post on. I know that I will be using it for sermon matl. Thought
some of you might enjoy it. Mtnwoman
I have always said "Out of the Mouths of Babes" maybe I should
revise that to "The actions of Babes"
We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik
in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there!" as he
pounded his fat baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes were
crinkled in laughter and excitement and his mouth was bared in a
toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked
around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants
were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of
would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and
unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his
nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from
him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped
on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; Hi there, big boy. I see ya,
buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks,
"What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi, hi there."
Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the
man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room; "Do
ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows
peek-a-boo." Nobody, especially my husband and I thought the old man
was cute. He was obviously a bum and a drunk. My husband and I were
embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running
through his repertoire for the admiring skid row bum, who in turn,
reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband
went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.
The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me
out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew
closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid
any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm,
reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before I
could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the
man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby
consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust,
love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged
shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his
lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled
my baby's bottom and stroked his back with a gentle love I could not
describe, but I felt in my soul. No two beings have ever loved so
deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked
and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on
mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this
baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a
stone. The old man pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly,
as though he were in pain, and handed him to me. I received my baby,
and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my
Christmas gift." I said nothing more than a muttered "thanks."
With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering
why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying,
"My God, my God, forgive me" over and over. I had just witnessed
Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no
sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who
saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a
child who was not. I felt as if God asked, "Are you willing to share
your son for a moment?" And I remembered that He shared His for all
eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To
enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."
"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...."
May it be so for the people of Iraq now that the dictator has been
found and captured. May the rest of their tormentors be found, and
may they begin to live their lives in peace.
I like so much of what's being said here. I agree that Elizabeth and
Mary had rather unique experiences. Who else in their neighborhoods
had angels standing in their presence to announce unexpected
pregnancies??? Nothing like it had happened since the days of
Hannah, and Sarai before her.
God-time and human time hardly ever coordinate. Elizabeth had long
ago given up hope, lamenting that her life-plans were never really
fulfilled. Perhaps she was now content enough that her work would be
to take care of her husband and relative's children. Mary, on the
other hand, was only starting to build the hope of bearing children,
looking forward to that bright day when she and Joseph would become
parents. Then the message was received that both the past and the
future is NOW. Both women had to revise their own calendars and put
themselves in synch with God's time. That is no easy task, and I
wonder if we have ever got ourselves on God's time.
The Savior is coming. Are we ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit
and welcome him with straight- from-the-heart praise, or are we
still diddling around (a Ky term) with what we want to be focusing
on? The past is the past, and God seeks to bring us into a new day.
The future is God's to determine. God asks us to revise our thinking
so he can work with us today. When we surrender unto God, we can let
the full impact of Christmas sink in.
Not well thought out, but hopefully readable.
KyHoosierCat
The baby within Elizabeth lept for joy. How do we respond to the
baby in Mary's womb? Do we leap for joy? Or are we impatient and
want to get onto our family gatherings on Christmas Eve? Just how
were Elizabeth and Mary related? PH in OH
"Upside Down People" When I was a child I was fascinated by a
dessert called "Upside Down Cake." I guess I wondered how they kept
the batter from running out as they cooked it upside down. The first
thought that struck me as I considered choosing this text for this
particular Sunday (obviously, a text I had studied and preached on
many times over my ministry) was that the Gospel comes to us from an
upside down people. As in an athletic contest where the momentum
shifts from the superior team to the underdog and an upset is in the
making, God's promised deliverance of Israel turns things upside
down. Status of the mighty and the weak are reversed. Maybe that is
why many Christians like to pull for the underdog. But, do our
sentiments equal our actions? What sacrifices do we make to
demonstrate our solidarity with the poor and the downtrodden, those
who most often are the vessels of God's messages. TN Mack
"Upside Down People" When I was a child I was fascinated by a
dessert called "Upside Down Cake." I guess I wondered how they kept
the batter from running out as they cooked it upside down. The first
thought that struck me as I considered choosing this text for this
particular Sunday (obviously, a text I had studied and preached on
many times over my ministry) was that the Gospel comes to us from an
upside down people. As in an athletic contest where the momentum
shifts from the superior team to the underdog and an upset is in the
making, God's promised deliverance of Israel turns things upside
down. Status of the mighty and the weak are reversed. Maybe that is
why many Christians like to pull for the underdog. But, do our
sentiments equal our actions? What sacrifices do we make to
demonstrate our solidarity with the poor and the downtrodden, those
who most often are the vessels of God's messages? TN Mack
Thanks Heidi for pointing out the typo. It should definitely read
"until, legs unbroken, it was laid to rest in a tomb."
Shalom
I have a request. I'm looking for an illustration of incarnation I
heard about three years ago. It's about a guy who stays home from
xmas eve service while wife and kids go. While he's at home a
snowstorm starts and a flock of birds get disorented by it and start
to flail themselves against his house windows. He goes out and trys
to shoo them away, but they keep on crashing against the windows.,
some of them die from exhaustion. He goes to a nearby barn/garage
and turns on the light hoping to lure them in with warmth and
safety, but they don't get it. Then he says, "If only I could become
one of them and show them the way to safety." Ta-Da !! Incarnation
is kind of like that. Anybody got the full version of this? jackson
in MI
Saddam has been brought low as will G.W. Bush. The prophecy does not
discrminate and speaks to the utter arrogence of ALL rulers.
No world kingdom can stand in the Kingdom of God, no world ruler
shares the throne with Christ. Come Lord Jesus, Come
Pr. del in IA
Don't you think it's great that Elizabeth's name in Hebrew means
"God is my fullness"? I just love that!
Blessings, Eric in OH
The story of the little boy Erik and the old "geezer" in the
restaurant is published in one of Bill Bausch's books. He's a
retired Catholic priest who has published several homily-story
books. His publisher is Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, CT. Don't
remember which book this story is in, but any of his books are good
resources.
Metz in Indiana
There is an Advent hymn titled "All Earth Is Hopeful" that we've
been using throughout the Advent Season this year. (In Spanish? by
Albert Taule, translated by Madeleine Forell Marshall)
Moments ago, I saw a program on A&E about a dentist convicted of
conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Philidelphia. It ended with the
observation that people still pursue happiness in whatever way they
can, often resorting to drugs.
Might it be that our people grow tired of waiting, and cease to
hope? A quick and easy fix resorting to drugs may be seen as one way
to be "happy" now, rather than having to wait in hope.
Imagine Mary's hopefulness, waiting for the birth, waiting for the
birthdays, waiting for the conqueror who ended up on a cross of
crucifixion, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled...
Hopeful? Hopeless? With or without hope, still we wait.
Not sure whether this will be helpful to anyone, but that's where my
thoughts are at this point.
Michelle
What strikes me is the humility of Mary as she acknowledges that the
Lord has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
We know God gives grace to the humble, but sometimes our pride rises
up anyway. We get to the point to where we think we are entitled to
the grace God has shown to us all.
I thought I might try to relate that idea to the expectation of a
Christmas bonus. If you get one for a few years, you start to feel
like it's an entitlement. Still, nothing could ever prepare you to
receive a bonus like the SAS shoemakers gave their employees this
year, $1000 for each year you have been an employee. WOW.
How many $9-10 an hour employees expect a Christmas bonus of 20
Grand? The company is rewarding loyalty to what is not one of the
greatest jobs in the world.
Surely I can find a connection there.
GC in IL
According to Matthew's account, we can deduce that almost
immediately after Mary had immaculately conceived, Joseph got a
visit from the angel telling him all was well - and Joseph married
Mary. My understanding of it has always been that it all happened
within a week's time, and quite privately. I just can't imagine that
God left Mary to endure the consequences that would surely come from
an unwed pregnancy. She didn't get herself into this situation; I
doubt God allowed it to turn into a curse for her.
KHC
GC in IL - thank you. My heart is convicted. May God forgive.
anonymous
Wouldn't it be nice to share our spirituality, our worship, our love
of God as freely as these two women did in this exchange? Most of us
mainliners are more reserved.
I'm with another post-er (sorry, lost track of who it was) who
highlighted v. 45, "Blessed is she who believed ..."
I've long seen Mary as a prototype of the church, bringing Christ
forth to the world. Pregnant with creation. Wouldn't it be nice to
share as exhuberantly as these two women, the joy of our God?
Blessed is she who believed ...
Sort of the Scriptural counterpart to the Amy Grant song, "Breath of
Heaven," depicting Mary as frightened, alone, and faithful.
Sally in GA
Why did Mary go to Elizabeth to begin with?
Well, one idea might be that she would have been stoned to death if
she hadn't. Angel Smangel ... not many people would have believed
that. Yes, Joseph was understanding, because he too had an angel.
But how many of us went to school when the rumored pregnant sophmore
disappeared to visit cousins out of state for ... oh, about 6 to 8
months.
There are many reasons why Mary might have gone to see her
out-of-town cousin. That's just one.
mm in pa
Thanks to all for last weeks discussion.
I have a baptism this sunday, and at first not too happy about it
because of time contrains,, the choir with two anthems and the
chiidren's bell choir. But now I think I am going to make the sermon
short and preach holding the baby ( if resonabily quiet). The baby
to be born is full of promise, a promise not fully known about any
baby. The promise of Christ is a different promise of one who is
not, but there is a promise of Christ for the baby now. not a lot of
sense here but still mulling. Nancy-Wi
Nancy in WI, I can't believe you're doing that! While we don't have
any tiny babies in our church, we do have some young children - and
I was actually planning to have them come up front during the sermon
time and my sermon would be about how these precious souls are so
full of the Promise God has given, etc......
When we have Baptisms I have written a letter to the child, telling
him/her this same thing. Of course, the baby doesn't know what I'm
saying, but the parents and the rest of the congregation do. (I give
a pristine copy to the parents for a keepsake, and to re-read
occasionally.) Since I've got no Baptism this week, I thought this
children-at-feet-in-front-pew might work.
Since our minds worked together on this, does that mean they are
great minds? I wonder......
We can compare notes on how it worked, OK?
KyHoosierCat
These two women come together, and it is together, that they each
make their confession of faith. Elizabeth's confession is about the
"blessed"-ness of Mary and Mary's child, while Mary's confession is
about her, "soul magnifies the Lord". Blessed and magnifies, these
two words are what draw me into this text. It is interesting to note
that only God blesses and the blessing most refered to in the OT is
that of life, hence why Elizabeth states, "Blessed are you..." God
has blessed Mary, it is God's action that has brought life, "what
has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of
all people" to use the Words of John the Evangelist. Then again
their is Mary magnifying the Lord with all of her soul: in other
words she is extoling, praising and glorifying the Lord. Why? "For
He...For the Mighty One...His mercy...He has...He has...He has...He
has" She extols the Lord because of what the Lord has done, not only
for her but for the world. The questions that I wish my congregation
and myself to examine as we wait for "Christ-mas" is how has the
Lord blessed us and how do we magnify the Lord for having blessed
us? This is what we are preparing to celebrate. The Lord blessing us
with life through the life of a baby born in a manger. This is why
we come together, just as Elizabeth and Mary did in that Judean town
in the hill country, to make our confession of faith in what the
Lord has done. Grace and Peace, Paul in the Badlands
Has anyone considered that this text is read daily by millions who
devote themselves to the practice of evening prayer? The canticle of
Mary comes just before the prayers of intercession in almost all
denominational material for the evening liturgy.
just a thought, JP
George W. Hoyer - That outline is fabulous. I'm sorry, my friend,
but I just might have to swipe it. It's got three points and
everything.
JG in WI
revdlmc -- Good sermon. Nice use of my little contribution.
Blessings, Eric in OH
Nancy in WI and KHC - I love those ideas! Just to pipe in on
something that's worked really well for us this Advent:
I had the two adult Sunday school classes divide up the Advent
readings for lighting the candles. I admit that I played around with
the "official" liturgy of the day (the candles are lit first thing),
but I combined the children's sermon and the candle lightings. I got
the readings and discussion for Advent from a book of family
devotions for Advent and wrote a sort of script for the class
members to do it. They call the children down front and do the
"children's sermon" as the Advent reading. It's been GREAT.
Our greatest moment was when one of the little girls said, "I
wouldn't want to be an angel; angels are naked."
Sally
It's always been an interesting point for me to ponder, how is it
that WE magnify the Lord? Isn't he big enough already? Is it like
looking at the Lord through a magnifying glass? Is it like listening
to him with the volume turned way up? Is it reflecting his presence
more greatly on earth?
Or is it simple praise?
Sally
One last post - sorry; just thinking bit by bit as \usual.
In the Tom Hall excerpt, he mentions Mary's song being a song from
the other side of the tracks. A song that women in Somalia, Haiti
and such can sing. I'd extend the people who can sing the song, but
I "hear" what he's saying. A song from the other side of the tracks.
A far cry from the magnificence of a big Christmas Eve service in
North America!
It reminds me of what strikes me every Christ the King Sunday. I'm
an amature classical vocalist, and years ago we did a concert of
coronation anthems. It was *fun!* It happened to be, though, that I
was preaching on Christ the King only a week or so after the
coronation anthem concert - lots of big, majestic music! And I
thought of the jeers and laughter that served as Jesus' coronation
anthem.
Likewise, I consider the song from the other side of the tracks -
and what a far cry it is from those of us with the big majestic
Christmas programs and drive-through living nativities. When our
pageants use real animals, we import them - the original ones were
already THERE!
Where, or when, are we on the other side of the tracks, singing this
magnificent song of praise? Without any magnificent music to
accompany us, without any magnificent pageantry. Where do we find
ourselves alone, lowly, without pageantry?
I think THIS will be my entrypoint. Gotta find a (sigh) title.
Sally in gA
Title: "I Love a Parade"
after I thought about the Macy's parade and whatnot. This is a
smaller parade, Mary's marching over to Elizabeth's house. And them
singing praises to God - from the other side of the tracks. But
let's face it, most of life is NOT a parade.
Sally
mm in pa, with due respect, I loved your idea until I noticed that
when Mary found out she was pragnet, she found out that Elizabeth
was also pragnet. In fact Eliz. was 6 months pragnet. Then Mary
hurried off to be with her, and stayed there for three months. I
would guess until John was born. I would rather think that Mary, the
servant, went to aide Eliz. But still, good idea. If she left right
after she became pragent and came back after the first trimester, as
a first time mother, she would only then; in the fourth month begin
to show. Kyle in TX
I agree with KHC. Mary was not in danger because she got married
right away so nobody but Joseph knew the difference. When Elizabeth
knew it was only because the HS filled her in.
Corn County
My thoughts on Mary's Magnificat was posted on "the other Luke
page", so I will be focusing on only the first part here...
I remember that I was so shocked when I first learned that Mary had
"skiped town" when she was pregnant! Here, the text in 1:39 and the
context from the preceding passages would support it. (If she
stayed, she will probably get mistreated). At the earliest, Mary was
in her first trimester (because the angel appeared to her in the 6th
month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, according to relationship with the
previously mentioned 5th month in v.24 and v.26).
What we would have expected, is that God would provide Mary a place
of refuge in the house of Elizabeth, so that she can go through her
unwedded pregnancy there. But that was not the case with the text,
for v.56 stated, "Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months
and then returned home."
As modern readers, we are pushing the anthropological envelope of
the text, and bemoan the tough situation in which Mary, the
single-mother had to endure. But that was not so, according to the
text. Somehow, we took comfort in the thought of the sacrifice a
human female undertook, so that Christ would be born! But that was
not so, according to the text.
Yes, there was some encouragements for Mary in Elizabeth (for the
Angel were the one who suggested Mary to come and visit her in the
first place v.36) But this encouragement were just as providential,
as the "home" setting God provided Mary so she could "return" to in
v.56, (as well as the man Joseph God put besided her in 1:27 and
later on in 2:4). So, what I need to keep straight in my mind is
that the situation was not as grimmed as I often make it out to be.
According to the text, the only response we see from Mary was joy,
humility, gratefulness, faith and hope. There was not even a hint of
clouded reality about "How am I going to explained this?" or "Who is
going to believe me?" What was the reality Mary facing? Could we
expect Mary, who found favor before God, also had been living a
Godly life enough before the people to found favor in their eyes
too?
Interestingly enough, Mary's response of 1:34 "How will this be,
since I am a virgin?" is extremely similar to Zechariah's in 1:18,
"How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well
along in years." Yet, the former was praised for her faith and the
later was rebuked for disbelief.
In that light, when Elizabeth said in 1:45 that, "And blessed is she
who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to
her by the Lord". She was talking about Mary.
Finally, what were the relevant fruits from my wandering mediation
on this?
1) God is providential - don't think too highly of what we have
sacrificed for Him.
2) Spiritual companionship strengthen Spiritual experience - Why
Mary came to Elizabeth? For only people who experienced "nothing is
impossible for God" can minister to the people underwent that
experience.
3) Faith is our attitude toward reality - Same responses from Mary
and Zechariah, two different attitudes.
That's it for now...
coho, Midway City
Isn't the prophecy in Isaiah that a VIRGIN shall conceive and bear a
son? So, in order to have filled that requirement, God would have
had to choose an UNMARRIED Jewish woman of virtue, right? Also, the
air was full of expectancy (so to speak) that God was going to do
something wonderful in Israel. The 1st century people were not as
skeptical of angels as the 21st century mind is. While the presence
of an angel on your doorstep, or overhead, might have caused fear
(is it an angel of great message, or an angel of death???) I think
the people were open to angels. They were a part of the Jewish faith
story, and as I recall, they even fit into the early church's
accounts.
KyHoosierCat
I recently read a piece from Craig Barnes who wrote:
"After the angel Gabriel announced God's miraculous intervention in
Mary's life, he told her about the sacred interruption of
Elizabeth's life. It is not surprising, then, that the Virgin headed
straight to her counsin's home. In coming together, they formed the
first community of Christ because they were two people gathered in
His name (three, if you count John, who leaped in Elizabeth's womb).
Much later, Jesus would say that whenever two or three were gathered
in his name, he would always be in their midst. To this day,
whenever the community of Christ gathers, it is as a community of
interrupted lives. Some of us, like Elizabeth, have discovered life
is not what we had settled for. Others, like Mary, have discovered
life is not what we had hoped for. All of us have dicovered that
when a Savior is in our midst, life is not limited by our despair or
our hopes."
Still working with the idea that God "interrupts" our lives.
JP in CO
revdlmc,
Out of curiosity I stumbled upon Immanuel's web site, and learned
more about the transitional situation you guys were in. I learned a
lot about how you guys are ministering for the congregation there.
My thoughts and prayers are for you and the people there this
morning. May God bring healing and restore you guys soon.
coho, Midway City
KyHoosierCat,
"Isn't the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 that a VIRGIN shall conceive and
bear a son?"
Scholars(? and my profs in seminary) debated about this point
forever (even Justin Martyr in the mid 2nd century debated with
Jewish apologist Trypho on this exact text).
On the one hand the text of 1:34 "How will this be, since I am a
virgin?" could be interpreted as Mary expected the normal course of
conception to give birth to the Messiah. Some pointed to the Hebrew
text in Isaiah which could be rendered as a "young maiden" (as the
RSV, for they argued that the technical Hebrew word for a virgin
wasn't used there in the Massoretic Text, the LXX rendered that with
the technical Greek word for a virgin parthenos).
On the other hand, the counter argument was that the translators of
the LXX lived closer to the time and could understand the Hebrew
text better than we could. In addition, the apostolic church fathers
deemed that the virgin birth was one of the crucial evidence (it was
recorded even in the very ancient Apostolic Creed) for Jesus's
fully-God/fully-Human Christology, otherwise how could a mere human,
can atone for the sin of the world?
OK, I better stop now, before they cast me out into the theologocal
forum :-)
coho, Midway City
coho, not wanting to be"labor" the point, a maiden is a synonym for
unmarried woman, usually of tender years. Hence our (almost extinct
now) use of the term "maiden name" to distinguish between pre- and
post- marital identity.
KHC
mm in pa - I really appreciated your contribution. I have an
additional suggestion. Perhaps Mary's motivation in seeking
Elisabeth was: research. Mary was going to have a miracle baby; her
relative Elisabeth was already six months along in the process, and
might be able to tell Mary what to expect! A couple of other notes:
I don't think it's inconsistent for Mary to praise God for the
miracle baby, and then to have second thoughts and "leave town."
Also, to those noting Joseph and Mary's marriage: that is from
Matthew, while this reading is from Luke. I learned in homiletics
that rather than mashing gospel stories together to get the result
you want, look at what the author of the Gospel wrote. Luke says
nothing about Joseph and Mary's marriage, before or after the birth
of Jesus. LF
