Mary, in her rush frantic waiting for the coming birth, reminds us of ourselves, as hurry to Christmas day. But, in Mary’s experience, we see Emmanuel not just about the not yet but about the Joy that can be found in moments where we are fully rooted in love.

Scripture:  Luke 1:39-45

From Fathers to Mothers

Part of advent is telling the story of two amazing children: John and Jesus. A few weeks ago, we heard Zechariah, John’s fater praying about the yet to born Jesus and then he spoke to his yet-to-be born son. I imagined him whispering to the child in his mother’s belly. 

This week, we hear from John’s mother, Elizabeth.

Mary rushes to Elizabeth, enters Elizabeth’s house and greets her… maybe in an offering of peace, shalom on this house, shalom on you and this child.

Elizabeth and the blessed bes

And Elizabeth, we hear, was filled with the Spirit and these words flow out of her… blessed are you among women, blessed is the fruit of your womb, blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her. 

Blessed are. Blessed is. Blessed is.

One day a crowd will surround Jesus on a mountainside, greeting him … and of all the words that flow back from him, the ones we remember most are ones about Blessing. Blessed are the Poor. blessed are, blessed is, and blessed will be flowed out of his mouth.

Our reading with Mary and Elizabeth, where Mary greets Elizabeth and blessings flow is a glimpse of the coming promise. A glimpse of how it will spread.

We start with this small circle

But, for now, the circle the Spirit is touching is much smaller. Blessed is Mary, Blessed is the infant in her womb. And then this slightly cryptic 

Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her

In the experience of trusting what she had learned and acting upon –every before the promise comes – Mary is already being blessed. Blessed are those who live into the promise … even before the promise can see be seen … 

Emmanuel in the unnoticed

In this season we sing Emmanuel, gd is with us, and we think of Jesus as newborn baby, the presence of the divine made concrete in the manager and the creche. But, here we also see Emmanuel as the Holy Spirit present and real through Elizabeth, the voice showering blessings, the voice foreshadowing the promised Christ.

Frantic Waiting 

We have been busy waiting for Christmas morning. We have such a hard time, waiting quietly. Instead we rush around. Shopping and wrapping. Shaking boxes. Wondering what is coming. The boxes so much like promises of what we will find that day. Advent season can be the same, looking forward to the advent, the arrival, of another promise, Emmanuel, we can fill our sundays with hurried waiting.

And here is Mary doing the same thing, rushing arround. For her, the hurried waiting is for the birth of these two amazing children. Waiting, with us, for the Advent of Emmanuel.

In our hurried waiting, we are so focused on something that seems so close now, days away, it is easy to miss this moment and the presence of the divine, emmanuel, Gd with us now and here with us as we wait.

In her frantic waiting for what is to coming, Mary has been rushing around, rushing that takes her to her cousin’s house. And, in this moment, Emmanuel breaks into the moment through the mouth of Elizabeth, the divine speaking Emmanuel into this moment. 

Rushing towards the promise 

I want to turn to the other person in this story. The scene makes it so easy to focus on Elizabeth and Mary. In this, it reminds me of a baby shower, at least as I imagine it from the movies. The excitement is overwhelming. There’s Joy. The mother’s cousin and best friend is there. Everyone is sharing how amazing the moment is, how the mother has been been blessed, I’m so happy I’m here with you. Everyone gets caught up in the excitement about the mothers. But, Elizabeth is a little older, maybe a little wiser, and points Mary back to the child.

John recognizes something 

There’s so much in this moment. Greetings, all those words tumbling out, our excitement about what is coming. And Elizabethe says when I heard the sound of your voice, the baby leaped for Joy. Babies kick and shift and squirm. Something about that voice and the baby leaps. What in those moment makes a child leap? In that voice, does the child recognize something that Mary herself is missing in her hurrying? 

Before the Frantic Waiting

John is not caught in the frantic waiting of the times. Really young children can be like that. I remember the first year Cedar was able, with a little help, to open presents. We were soooooo excited. Everybody brought too many gifts. Cedar didn’t really understand why we were so excited and after a while, Cedar go bored. So we took a break. For the adults, it had also been about getting to Cedar’s first real Christmas. But, for Cedar, it hadn’t become about frantic waiting yet. 

Joy in Love

Cedar was still young enough that it must have seemed like everything Cedar needed would show up. Food, water, a warm blanket. Doubly so, with an unborn child like John. Everything the unborn child needs including life itself, is provided, by another. From John’s perspective, Elizabeth makes a complete offering of the self. John doesn’t even need to ask. It’s this amazing picture of resting in total love. And… in that connection… John senses something when his mother, the one who is pouring out love and life into him, hear’s Mary’s voice. Frantic waiting, worry, stress has not taken over his life. He knows deep love and is living completely in this moment. And it frees him to experience this amazing moment of Joy in love.

Conclusion

Elizabeth and the blessed bes is this moment with just a few people that looks forward to Jesus’ Blessed bes and this vision of Emmanuel that all can see. We get so busy in our frantic waiting that we, like Mary, can miss what is happening around us and what the story of two amazing children means in this moment before Emmanuel breaks and the ripples spread far and wide. In this moment, Emmanuel is not just about the promise that seems days away. It reminds us that Emmanuel breaks in around us even in our frantic waiting, pouring out in surprising places, sometimes from someone near us. That when love pours out, it can be about more than our excitement about the not yet  but in the Joy that can be found in moments where we are fully rooted in love.

Benediction

    May the Holy One bless you
            and keep you;
    May you know that you, like John,
are more valuable than you know
that you are beloved
    May you know that
even in your frantic waiting
that in love, Joy is found
    And may you share peace
that you may spark Joy