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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 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 for ever.’(Luke 1: 39-55)
Happy Monday, dear Friend! I pray that God's blessings be with you and yours as we wind down the season of Advent and go full force into the Christmas season.
This passage is filled with the grace and power of God's Holy Spirit. It is a time of great awe and mystery for the players of this drama: Mary, the young chosen mother of the Christ Child, Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatives of the young mother-to-be and expectant and bewildered parents as well; and God's Holy Spirit Who was moving and directing all of these scenes and events. The drama in this passage begins with Mary rushing to see her relative Elizabeth whom she has found out is also pregnant with a child. The news were startling given Elizabeth's age and history of not having had children yet. As soon as Mary enters Elizabeth's home she greets her and upon hearing the greeting, the baby within Elizabeth leapt in her home. The movement of the baby's reaction as well as the filling of the Holy Spirit moved the old woman to exclaim, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" This was the work of the Holy Spirit. He had been at work in Elizabeth's life all along, but this great event, the pregnancy and the promise of a child meant for service for God, was an incredible blessing for her and her husband. For five months she had been in seclusion and Mary's first was itself a blessing and more so when the Spirit allowed the baby insider of her to react with joy.
Advent is all about God at work in our lives. The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit and His job is to do God's bidding in our lives. I compare it to being the divine music that drives the dance of faithfulness; evidence Zechariah's encounter with the angel, then the dance of an old pregnant woman, Elizabeth, and then the young mother, Mary. Advent is a symphony at work for those who are in tune with God! Hear it and respond with joy and trust. We all hear His music differently, for we are all called to different dances; all are faithful and true, all seek to make great the Name of the Lord. Witness the song of Mary called The Magnificat, from the Latin. Her song is inspired by Samuel's mother's song in 1 Samuel when she also had news of her pregnancy. Read the words again and see how God's own Spirit inspired her to praise the Lord and to speak words of faith and hope in God. This, she sang, is the fulfillment of promises made long ago.
Dear friend, as you go about the busyness of this season, don't be so busy that you can't hear the music of God singing to your soul. God will lead you to faithfulness and fruitfulness.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may the choruses of Your divine music speak to my heart, mind, and spirit. I want to be obedient to what I need to do. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and let my life dance and sing the praises for all to see and be blessed. May my life be an invitation to others, to come to You. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! As the old spiritual says, "I'm dance when the Spirit says dance!"
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUEST: Please be in prayer for the family of Hal Wilson, husband of Charlotte Wilson. He passed away this weekend. Please pray for her and her family's comfort and joy. And prayers for our pastor, Matt Pennington, who, along with Nellie and I, is battling a cold. Not fun! Pray for one another, pray for yourselves. Why do we pray? Because God answers prayer!
