Listen:
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:45, NRSV)
Reflect:
Elizabeth, long barren and well past childbearing age, is miraculously pregnant. Elizabeth and Zechariah represent faithful Israel, waiting in hope in their barrenness. But now they and their son John would announce the Messiah to the world. They stand on the outer border of expectancy, as they see a new age dawning, and herald it.
Mary, who miraculously conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, literally shares the Good News of Jesus Christ with her host. Divine possibility electrified the air and the grace of God drenched their visit. And Mary, through the divine infant she carried, had crossed the border to a new age. Mary sings her song – the Magnificat – a song of God’s vision of mercy and justice for humanity. This is a song of an earthquake, with new life breaking through the ground. This is a song of a world turned upside down. This is a song of reversal. And this song might make us wonder how well we participate in God’s upside down world.
The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart said: “What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God … and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and in my culture? … God is always needing to be born.” Richard Rohr said that we are all called to be “other Marys”, meaning we are meant to give birth to Christ in our work, in our leisure, in our relationships, in our beings, and in our personhoods. He is right, because we possess the same world-changing Holy Spirit as Mary and Elizabeth did.
Blessed is Mary. Blessed is Elizabeth. And blessed are you.
Questions to Ponder:
- How do I participate in God’s upside down world of mercy and justice?
- Are there things I need to repent of so that I may be more fully possessed by the Holy Spirit?
Prayer of Response:
Blessed are you Lord God of Israel, who sent your Son Jesus Christ to Mary, Elizabeth and the whole world, including me. Help me respond in faith to carry the life of Christ within me and share it with others.
—Submitted by Libby Rutherford
Libby is a Lifespringer for more than a decade and serves on the Lifesprings Executive Team. She is a wife, mom, grandma, pastor and raises chickens. She has discovered the profound truth that chicken stories make terrific sermon illustrations.
Featured image: The Visitation by Therese Quinn
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