IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME: MARY AND ELIZABETH

To watch a video of this message which includes the lighting of the Advent Candle, scripture readings and prayer, click on:

 https://youtu.be/3uqHF-HkuL0

The video will be available after 9 am, EST.




Luke 1:39-56

In the fullness of time …

What I find awesome and joy-inspiring in the stories of the first chapter of Luke is watching God in and through the lives of ordinary people like you and me, ordering the fulfillment of his promises of deliverance and salvation for humanity and all of creation.

This is the third Sunday of Advent, and the theme is “joy.”  The joy candle in the Advent wreath is pink representing the lifting of the darkness in anticipation of the birth of Jesus.


The Church of the Visitation (formerly Abbey Church of St John in the Woods) is a  Catholic church in Ein Karem Jerusalem, and honors the visit of Mary to Elizabeth.  Traditionally, this site is where Mary recited her song of joy and praise, the Magnificat.

 The courtyard contains a statue of Mary and Elizabeth, and on the wall opposite the entrance to the lower church are forty-two ceramic tablets bearing the verses of the Magnificat in as many different languages.

 In response to Elizabeth’s confirmation of God’s actions in Mary’s life through the response of her unborn child and her prophetic words echoing the angel, Gabriel, Mary begins her song with “My soul magnifies the Lord…”

We magnify God not by making Him bigger than He truly is, but by making Him greater in our thoughts, in our affections, in our memories, and in our expectations.  In doing so, we enter into a hyper-awareness of God with us and our response is an expression of joy.

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength”

Joy is the product of our faith in the future based on what God has done in the past and in the present.  It gives us the strength to be obedient and to live sacrificially.

Because God had proven repeatedly his steadfast love and mercy, and with the proof of the truth of the angel’s words, she had the joy of the Lord that would be her strength even to watching her son die on a cross for our sins.  She rejoiced because forgiveness, deliverance and restoration were at hand.

 

My husband, Tom, and I faced many challenges during our time together.  We got married during the crash of the auto industry in Michigan and the recession.  We faced times of unemployment and under employment, life changes, disappointments and loss.  We learned life lessons and grew from our experiences and saw God at work in our lives. 

When something major would happen, we would affirm this with each other:  God got us through all those tough times, and God will get us through this.  Remember and rejoicing in what God had done for us sustained us.  

So, let’s be honest, this year, Christmas will not be all that merry and bright for any of us.  But has every Christmas been wonderful?  Where there years when the lights were dimmed by the loss of a loved one, worries over the future or being far away from family and friends?  How was God present with us during those times?

 How is God with us this year?  How is God sustaining us?

Joy is the product of our faith in the future based on what God has done in the past and in the present.  It is our strength in times like these.

 


 


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