Gospel Reading
Luke 1:39-45
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] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
Devotion: Whom does God send to work in our lives?
In this Fourth Sunday in Advent, our Gospel text has Mary visiting Elizabeth. In those days an unmarried woman with child would not be accorded an honored status. But!!!
Elizabeth strongly honors Mary and praises her. Elizabeth also figures out what is causing her baby to react—the coming of Our Savior. She heaps even more praise and honor on Mary. Elizabeth sees beyond the shamefulness of Mary’s situation to the reality of God’s love at work even among those whom society rejects and excludes. Elizabeth’s words and actions invite us to reflect on our own openness to the ways that God chooses to act in our world. What is God doing through unexpected people in our society today? Where is God at work through people whom our neighbors and fellow church members often exclude or treat as shameful? Will we listen to the Spirit’s prompting when the bearers of God’s new reality show up on our doorstep? As we celebrate the advent season let us be more aware of whom God uses to do His work. He helped us overcome our shamefulness, let us then be more welcoming to the shameful. Let us ask for His help to be a more supportive community
The prayer: “Lord help us be a welcoming community. Amen”
Blessings to you.
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