I.
This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the last Sunday before Christmas Day and we will depart from our consideration of the building of the Temple this week.

Of course, maybe this is not too much of a departure for we are still considering how God elects to invade this world and how his servants are part of that invasion.

The Scripture passage scheduled for reflection this week is “suppose” to be Luke 1:39-56. It seems to me what we need to include Luke 1:38, since without that yieldedness the rest cannot follow.

Please read over the passage and open your heart and mind to the praises and blessings that both Elizabeth and Mary voice.

II.

Luke 1:38-56 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

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.

III.
Mary says, “Let it be with me according to your word.”

Elizabeth says, “… blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Does this speak to you of how God’s love, guidance, and sustaining work break into this world? It does for me.

There is God’s call … a yieldedness to that call and work … and then, there can follow a recognition by others of what is happening and about to happen.

IV.
Are you thinking about “gifts” during these last days before Christmas Day. What you can gift to others and what gifts you might receive. Will you get “everything” on your wish list?

Maybe we could join with Mary and consider what gift of ourselves we can give to God. Not some coins in an offering plate, not some coins in a red kettle in front of the stores we visit, but the yielding our souls to God’s call. Granted the offering of coins is much easier but I suspect we see more is called for.

V.
Take some time over the next days to read over Mary’s words and pay attention to what draws you to share her spirit.

We’ll take later,

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}