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.” From Luke 1:39-55
Two women and two babies. This holy exchange is laden with mystery as we inch ever closer to the Feast of the Nativity. Gone are the darker overtones of the second coming. This week, we turn toward the birth of the baby who will bring light into the world. There is a precious familial reunion — full of new life and possibility. It mirrors our own reunions as we start to gather again from dispersed places. There is the wisdom of Elizabeth, who somehow recognizes something in Mary that is more than she fully sees herself. We may see similar recognitions as students return from college, full of stories from the past semester. We may sense a new unfolding as new babies join a family gathering for the first time.
In Luke, after this holy exchange between Elizabeth and Mary, Mary bursts into song. The text of the Magnificat is not a text of the ordinary, but one of the ordinary expanding in universal themes of salvation. Is it any wonder it has been set to countless musical renderings at evensong?
We hear this as a song of Mary, but it is also meant to be our own song. We are meant to know that in these holy exchanges of our own lives, our souls are magnified, and joy is made present. I know that when I was pregnant with both of my children, it never ceased to be a mysterious and holy experience when they began making themselves known through movement in the womb. And indeed, they reacted and knew other voices than just my own. The two pregnancies could not have been more different. The unique personalities of my children, the cravings I had — all pointed to the expansive nature of joy and new life. Joy multiplies and cannot be contained.
We are at that point in the Advent season where I hope you have found time for quietness and reflection amidst the busyness that is also a companion in this season. If you haven’t, the good news is there is still time! This Sunday, we will green the church, and that afternoon, we will have a moment to pause and fully enter the themes of this time through our annual Advent Lessons and Carols service. Our services on Christmas Eve will allow us to honor all that is promised to us in the birth of Jesus Christ. Join us! And invite others to hear the story with us!
Peace, Beth +