Reading
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 leaped 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 leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor 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 forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. (Luke 1: 39-56) Reflection Elizabeth and Mary share a biological and spiritual connection in a moment that sounds strange. Sure, we are familiar with babies jumping in the womb when a spouse or loved one comes in the womb. It can seem delightfully creepy to realize that they are listening. I am also thinking of a baby that would punch or kick the sonogram wand every time. Ha-ha. No, this is not normal, though to experience that strange warmth and burst into song. This passage seems more like apart from that time travel movie, Back to the Future, except the DeLorean Motor Company makes a zoom lens or pair of binoculars to just SEE into the future. It brings into focus a world changed and turned upside down in many ways. This vision is full of hope and dreams far beyond a joyful Advent and Christmas but into a time when future families will sing of what God is doing right in their town (and ours!). Even more surprising is that we now know, we don’t just sing this song to and about Mary. Jesus has brought us all into the family with an amazing zoom lens. We can see beyond our present. All of us siblings dream and envision a brighter tomorrow that we are a part of and work to make! --Andrew Fitch Prayer Ever-living God, we praise you for Mary and her loving carrying of the Divine Jesus. Creator God, we lift up your goodness for the birth of all that is good in our lives. Visit with us in places that seem dark and without your peace. Sit with us until we jump for joy. If our day seems long, give us a song to sing of your eternal love. Let us see in our time that you are our eternal future now. In your Name, we pray. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Advent, we long for Christ’s coming: Christ coming as a baby; Christ coming again; Christ in our lives today.
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