19th December Fourth Sunday of Advent

Luke 1: 39- 45 (46- 55)

 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,  where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 
and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ 

 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 

and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
     Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
     and holy is his name. 
 His mercy is for those who fear him
     from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
     he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
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. 
He has helped his servant Israel,
     in remembrance of his mercy, 
 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
     to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ 

Reflection:

When we join with Mary in singing the Magnificat, we’re not just singing another carol to pass the time till Christmas arrives—we’re celebrating the impending arrival of the one who turns the world upside down! From the tiny village of Bethlehem comes the greatest gift ever. From the barren womb of Elizabeth comes the radical prophet and baptizer - John. From the mouth of a young, unmarried girl – Mary - comes words of unswerving commitment, and a song of praise for the fulfillment of God’s promises. For a church that has been lulled into complacency by too many warm, familiar Christmas rituals, these Advent readings offer an unsettling witness that the kingdom of God is indeed at hand.

When we think of the kingdom of God, what connotations does it bring for you? Do you have particular inferences which come with this phrase?

Last week we thought about being rather than doing. When we stop and take time to soak God’s presence into our very ‘being’ from the inside out- something is different. 

God’s presence brings a joy that casts out fear, His presence brings the restoration of justice and aid to the poor. His presence brings a new way of life in which the way that people relate to Him and to one another is profoundly different. God’s presence brings a renewed hope and a peace and joy that the world cannot give.

Life can be filled with fears, hurts, past disappointments and other things which hold us and keep us from one another and from God. This can be quite detrimental to our well-being and the well-being of our relationships. Pondering this I was then reminded that perfect love casts out fear. My morning devotion said- ‘love and fear cannot dwell together. By their very natures they cannot exist side by side. Evil is powerful and fear is one of evil’s most potent forces…’ Remember however that God is love and where there is love there is no room for fear or evil. Love is supreme and love is the gift that conquers all. Perhaps that is why it is not until the fourth and final week of advent that we come to the theme of love. Because love covers all, it is the essence of all we aspire to.

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. And the greatest of these is love.

In Luke’s gospel we hear the story of two equally incredible women – one too old to have a child, one still a virgin – In their story we have a foretaste of God’s redemption. The Christ announced by prophets of old and now by angel messengers, is the fulfilment of the promise God made to Abraham – I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great….in you all families of the world will be blessed. It is an awareness of this fulfilment that drives Mary into the hill country to visit her relative Elizabeth. 

Both women are visited by an angel of the Lord, both have no doubt that God will do what he says. Both have found themselves with child in the most unlikely circumstances. And in today’s portion of their story they both greet one another, comfort and rejoice with each other, and sing songs of love and justice. Notice Elizabeth’s song of faith and courage, as she is willing to believe not only that the Lord will grant her a child but that in the womb of her young cousin is the one who will redeem the world. Elizabeth blesses Mary in her song, and she blesses herself, and she blesses us, saying ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb…and that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

Filled so by the Spirit as soon as she heard Mary’s greeting, her child in my womb leapt for joy. Many commentators say that the baby leaps in the womb indicating that even three months before his birth, John is already filled by the Spirit and able to recognise God with him and that fulfilment of God’s promises is about to come in its fullness. Luke’s gospel extends into the book of Acts. You see this is just the beginning of the greatest story ever told. The story of Christ explodes into the story of the Church, from Nazareth to the ends of the earth.

It some ways it seems strange to me that it is here in the humble and ordinary that is God at work. Perhaps this isn’t where we expect God to be at work – out in the hill country, among two women who have nothing but love and song. But God is often like that, showing up where we least expect God to be, granting mercy rather than punishment, and banishing fear not with strength but with love.

The reality is, we should not be surprised that the love and songs these two unlikely unassuming women, the stars of the story for now as it were, are powerful enough to make the tyrants of this world shake with fear. Perfect love casts out fear- perfect love covers a multitude of impossibilities and perfect love fills, transforms and has the victory over sin and death…. That’s just the way God works.

So, I suggest that we should be very grateful for Elizabeth and for Mary and for all the unlikely characters then and now with the courage to believe and the faith to be used to accomplish God’s holy will. Have you ever thought that you are one of these unlikely characters in Gods story and that perhaps your life can be used for the glory of God and for the coming of his kingdom. 

When we are obedient, believe and use the little we have for God’s purpose who knows what might result. 

God doesn’t want us to lay our will begrudgingly upon His Altar. He wants us to desire and love His will because it is there in, we find happiness and Spirit rest. As we desire to know God more and more, we find the certainty that he will do what is best and that he only wants the best for us and those around us. Our lives tell his story, so as we accept his call and will like Elizabeth and Mary did, God is glorified.  We may not be visited by an angel but each of us do have a call upon our lives. Each of us has gifts to be used by God. So, as we prepare, as his birth draws near, may we be ready, may we have room in our hearts and lives for him and may we, by God’s Holy Spirit, be filled with hope, peace, joy and especially love. Amen.