Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Today we hear about the moment of preparation for Jesus coming into the world: the pregnancy of Elizabeth and Mary.
Both Elizabeth and Mary are in very difficult situations. Elizabeth is much older for her pregnancy. Though they longed for a child, she and Zechariah didn't think she could get pregnant any more. Her pregnancy is fraught with danger, and this is well before the time of hospitals even, so the danger is unimaginable for us. For her, this could have been a time of hope and fear, for both herself and her child. This is a time where she really has to trust in the Lord.
Mary is in a slightly different situation. She is very young, possibly not even a teenager, and while she is pregnant through the Holy Spirit, it looks like she has cheated on her betrothed. By the law, she could have been put to death for this. Her life, too, is in danger.
And yet both Elizabeth and Mary express joy in this moment. Elizabeth shouts out in excitement on seeing Mary and Mary too responds with a song. Mary's words, in fact, mirror the words of Hannah, the prophet Samuel's mother. Hannah was her husband's favorite wives, but not his only wife at the time. She was unable to bestow children on him, so she prayed to God, promising to give her child in service to the Lord. Samuel, her son, was given over to serve in the temple, and then to serve as a prophet, and as the final judge of Israel. In fact, Samuel was the prophet who anointed David, Jesus' ancestor, as the future king of Israel.
Mary's words aren't those of someone whose life is being inconvenienced by pregnancy. Instead, they are the words of a child who is long hoped and prayed for, just as Hannah prayed very deeply to have Samuel, and just as Elizabeth would have longed for her child, John the Baptist.
Through Elizabeth's words, and the angel Gabriel's before that, Mary knows who her child is. She knows that He is the Lord, the Messiah who will bring peace and salvation to His people. And we know that Jesus came not only to bring salvation to His people, but to us all.
Mary celebrates because she trusts in the Lord. She has faith that God will continue to help not the mighty and powerful, but those who truly need Him, as she says in her song. She rejoices most of all because she will take part in God's work in this world.
What we can take away from Elizabeth and Mary is that no matter how dark things get, God will always be there in the midst of them with us. God can take what seems like a disaster and use it not only for our own good, but for the good of the entire world as well.
What we can take away from Elizabeth and especially Mary is the courage to have faith, even in the most difficult of times. Our striving should never be for ourselves alone, but for the glory of God and for His compassion for the world. There is nothing more noble than to serve God, and there is nothing more brave that we can do than to be like Mary and say yes to letting God in.