 Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. The Birth of John the Baptist 57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. Zechariah's Prophecy 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Meditation Christmas songs prepare our hearts for the coming of King Jesus. Exploring the ancient soil where Mary’s song is rooted will deepen the preparation of our hearts this Advent season. Mary’s song (46-56) echoes Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. The richness of continuity rewards the student of Scripture who finds alignment: Rejoicing is the substance of songs anticipating God’s work! Hannah and Mary’s songs celebrate the Lord’s strength by anticipating scattering the proud, bringing down the mighty, exalting the humble, feeding the hungry with good things, and helping His people. God remembers His mercy and His promises, making a way for their fulfillment (75-76). God is faithful! The song of Advent rejoices in knowing the Lord has raised up “a horn of salvation for us!” (69-70, reminiscent of 1 Samuel as well) Hannah’s rejoicing replaced sadness. Mary’s exultation removed fear. Is your heart singing? The ancient song of advent invites you to rejoice rather than be anxious, to find freedom in humbling ourselves before the Lord rather than pretending we have it all together, to hunger for righteousness rather than try and find fullness nibbling the things of this world. We can have peace knowing our God will help us. Allow your soul to magnify the Lord and your spirit to rejoice in God our Savior! Sing in faith, anticipating of our Savior’s complete victory. Sing the song of Advent with Mary, Hannah, Isaiah, and countless others from Scripture. Let your heart rejoice! Richly Dwelling -What is the state of your heart this Advent season? Fearful, hopeful, anxious, humble, hungry, proud, peaceful …? -Look at the substance of Mary’s song- which truth of God’s promises leads your heart to rejoice? -Take a moment to allow your heart to magnify the Lord, to rejoice in your spirit in God our Savior. The Lord has come. The Lord will come again! Key Verse 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Comments are closed.
|