Understandably, Mary must have felt anxious, unsure, perhaps even afraid. A pregnant Mary would suggest to Joseph - and to others - that she had committed the sin of adultery - a sin punishable by death. The expectation was that the two of them would remain chaste until marriage. It’s important to remember that Mary was engaged to Joseph. And yet, in this extraordinary moment, she is so beautifully human, too - she wonders how this can be and then she leaves immediately to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, as if she is running away from Nazareth to Judah. Through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Mary is filled with courage and grace, and freely gives her yes to God. Mary has just been told that she will bear the Son of God, despite the fact that she’s a virgin. The story of the Visitation is one of my favorite stories in Scripture. It took 25 years until my Elizabeth entered my world, and it revealed to me the precious gift of holy friendship. More specifically, I longed to find my “Elizabeth”- a friend who loved the Lord, a woman to whom I could entrust my joys and sorrows and would help me make sense of those joys and sorrows in the Light of Christ, a companion who would encourage me to live as a daughter of God and to see the world through His eyes. In many ways, I felt like Anne of Green Gables, dreaming for “a bosom friend-an intimate friend, you know-a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my innermost soul.” It wasn’t that I didn’t have meaningful friendships growing up, it was just that I never felt as though my friends truly understood the depths of my heart. Zechariah foretells a great future for JohnĦ7 And his father Zechari’ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,Ħ8 “ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people,Ħ9 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,ħ0 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,ħ1 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us ħ2 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant,ħ3 the oath which he swore to our father Abraham,ħ4 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,ħ5 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.ħ6 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,ħ7 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,ħ8 through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on highħ9 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”Ĩ0 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.For years I longed for a best friend. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea Ħ6 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. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.Īncient image of a woman in a birthing chair these were used at the time Elizabeth gave birth to Johnĥ9 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and they would have named him Zechari’ah after his father,Ħ0 but his mother said, “Not so he shall be called John.”Ħ1 And they said to her, “None of your kindred is called by this name.”Ħ2 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called.Ħ3 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.Ħ4 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.Ħ5 And fear came on all their neighbors. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.Ģ4 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” Elizabeth gives birth, names her sonĥ7 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple and he made signs to them and remained dumb. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”Ģ1 And the people were waiting for Zechari’ah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. 18 And Zechari’ah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”ġ9 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
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