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Luke 1:42-45 (New Century Version)
Elizabeth cried out in a loud voice, “God has blessed you more than any other woman, and he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth. Why has this good thing happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy. You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord said to you would really happen.”

No doubt Mary had looked up for years to her much older cousin Elizabeth. Now Elizabeth joyfully shouted out that she is blessed by Mary’s visit, because Mary already carries in her womb “my Lord.” This is the first time that Jesus was called “Lord” by a human being, and he had not even taken his first breath of air yet!

Elizabeth’s beautiful declaration will be very familiar to people from the Roman Catholic tradition. It is the foundation of the Hail Mary prayer: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. The Lord of the universe, of the church, of our lives — all brought into existence through the faithful obedience of a young woman named Mary. The Lord, first celebrated by Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who carried in her own body the baby who would be John the Baptist.

And, just as John would eventually proclaim Jesus the Messiah at his baptism, so here the unborn John leapt for joy at the presence of his Lord.

Question…
What does the phrase “Jesus is Lord” mean to you?

Luke 1:39-41 (The Message)
Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped.

In today’s reading, The Message paraphrase really captures the feeling of the moment: “Mary didn’t waste a minute.” It is believed that Elizabeth lived in Ein Karem, which would have been about 90 miles away from Nazareth. Although Mary didn’t waste a minute in making her preparations, it still probably took her several days to make the arrangements for travel.

A single woman couldn’t just pop into her car and tear off down the highway in those days. She would have had to find a group of people she knew who were traveling in the direction of Ein Karem. She would required permission from her parents to travel. She would have to gather supplies for the journey. Then she would spend several more days actually walking the long distance between her home and Elizabeth’s.

Can you imagine the anticipation and anxiety Mary was feeling? She hadn’t told anyone about her amazing experience of being visited by an angel and the news that she would bear the Messiah in her womb. During those long days of planning and travel, did she begin to doubt herself? Had it all really happened? The angel Gabriel had given her a great gift: a way to verify that all she had heard was real. If she arrived at the house of Zachariah, and saw that Elizabeth was indeed pregnant, then… then she would know.

Question…
When have you had to wait to receive important news?

Luke 1:38 (New International Version)
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary replied. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

No matter how many times I read this verse, I am completely astonished. Mary didn’t hesitate. She didn’t bargain or question or waver. She simply declared, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary’s answer showed the deepest kind of faith. It’s a faith you would expect to see in someone who has walked with God for decades and decades. It’s a faith that speaks of powerful experience and long-established trust in God’s love. What it is not is the faith you would expect to see in a very young woman who has just been told that she is going to give birth to a child outside of wedlock.

Then, true to form, this cut-to-the-chase angel disappeared once Mary had uttered these words. The angel’s mission had been accomplished: Mary had placed her life firmly in God’s hands. And so the angel disappeared.

I’ve often wondered what it would have been like for Mary in that moment. Did she sit there a while, thinking over this life-changing event? Did she wonder whether or not it had really just happened? After all, it was over and done in the span of a few sentences! Did she worry about what was next?

Truth is, we have no idea. All we know is that the next thing she does is travel to see her cousin Elizabeth. We’ll look at the marvelous conversation between these two unlikely mothers-to-be in the next post…

Question…
When you’re making an important decision, do you like to spend time looking at all the options, or do you prefer to jump right in?

Luke 1:34-37 (New International Reader’s Version)
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God.”

I can think of about a hundred questions that would have sprung to mind if I were in Mary’s position: “Why me? You do realize that I’m just starting out in life, right? Shouldn’t you choose someone with more child-rearing expertise? How am I supposed to take care of a child? What will Joseph say when he finds out I’m pregnant? What will my parents do? Shouldn’t the Son of God be raised by someone with more resources than me and my family? Will my family even acknowledge me after they find out what has happened?”

But Mary asked none of these questions, or the hundred more that may have raced around in her head. No, she asked only one deeply practical question: “How can this happen? I’m a virgin.”

The angel answered in two parts. First he told her that the Holy Spirit would make this happen: her child would be both fully human and fully divine. Then he offered her tangible proof of God’s power and faithfulness: he told her that her cousin Elizabeth was miraculously pregnant. This amazing message must truly have awed Mary, who knew the truth of the angel’s promise that “nothing is impossible with God.”

Question…
Have you ever received news that seemed too good to be true?

Luke 1:28-33 (New American Standard Bible)
And coming in, Gabriel said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

This has to be the most amazing monologue ever uttered in the history of our world. The angel was apparently a cut-to-the-chase kind of being. No time wasted on small talk! After a very brief introduction, Mary was informed that she would become pregnant with the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah.

Every child is a blessing from God, an incredible miracle wrapped up in a tiny package. From a couple of cells inside a mother’s womb, multiplying at an incredibly fast rate over days and weeks and months, growing from the size of a grain of rice to a recognizable mammal shape. Then, finally, into a completed, beautiful baby, ready to experience the world. New life is an awe-inspiring gift!

But what a promise Mary received! Can you imagine? To be told that your child will be extraordinary. He will be great, the Son of the Most High God! His kingdom will never end. The Messiah. Mary’s faithful, simple life and been– in the span of a few seconds– changed forever.

Question…
What is the most life-altering news you’ve ever received?

Luke 1:26-27 (Today’s New International Version)
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

A young Jewish woman named Mary, engaged to a man named Joseph, was going about her daily life. She was probably thinking about the wedding, preparing for marriage, taking care of the smaller children in the village, helping her mother prepare the meals, cleaning the rooms of their small house, visiting with sick neighbors– all the small activities that made up the business of daily life in Nazareth.

Little did Mary know that her cousin Elizabeth– who had long ago given up on having a child– was miraculously pregnant! Over six months before, the angel Gabriel had spoke with Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah, and told him that his wife would soon give him a son. Zechariah was skeptical (can you blame him?), but he promise was soon a reality. As Elizabeth’s belly grew, this faithful couple’s joy increased.

This same angel was coming to visit Mary to deliver more amazing news. Outside of the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel is mentioned in only one other place in our Bible. In the book of Daniel, Gabriel appears to explain dramatic prophecies to Daniel. Now Gabriel comes to the town of Nazareth to announce the fulfillment of prophecy through the birth of a child. And the world would never be the same.

Question…
When have you been surprised to receive joyful news?

John 1:1-5 (New Living Translation)
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

We love to celebrate birthdays. Our own birthdays, perhaps especially, but also those of the people we love. It’s a marking of a milestone– a completed year of life to be recognized and remembered. And it’s also a celebration of the new year of life that is just beginning.

Christmas marks an incredibly special birthday celebration. So special, in fact, that it is celebrated by countless people around the world for a man who lived two millennia ago. It’s a birth that changed history, influenced cultures, and inspires artists. It is the most important birth in the history of the world. What is so different about Jesus’ birthday?

Our reading for today holds the answer. In twenty-three days, we’ll celebrate again the human birthday of “the Word”: the Son of the Father God through whom everything we know and hold dear was created. This is no ordinary birth that we await. With the arrival of Jesus, hope is birthed, along with redemption and joy and love and salvation.

That’s something to celebrate!

Question…
What is your favorite part of the Christmas celebration?

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

(O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, United Methodist Hymnal, #211)

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read this prophecy: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (7:14).

Immanuel. That Hebrew word ‘immanu’el means “God with us.” The Israelites had been waiting for centuries for their Messiah– their rescuer, their ‘immanu’el— to arrive. That’s why we sing each year as Christmas approaches: “O come, Emmanuel!” With these words, we invite our God to come and be with us today.

That is what the season of Advent is about. It’s a time to celebrate the coming of Jesus, to remember the events that led up to his birth on that first Christmas, and to rejoice in all that God has done in our lives. Advent is a time of preparation, of introspection, of great joy, and of anticipation. I pray that you would enjoy this four-week journey to Christmas!

Question…
What are you looking forward to the most this Advent season?