Mark's Blog

Reading: Luke 1: 39-45

³⁹ A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town ⁴⁰ where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴² Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. ⁴³ Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? ⁴⁴ When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵ You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

I chided Elizabeth yesterday for being a little self-centered when she realized that she was miraculously pregnant in her old age.  Some six months later, she has come to a much better understanding of her role and the role of her unborn child.  She becomes the one to help Mary understand what is true!

Mary can’t wait to visit her relative Elizabeth, probably not only to see if what the angel said was true, but to share her news as well. It is easy to wonder how much Mary really understood. She probably didn’t feel pregnant—most women don’t only days after conception—so her faith would be based solely on her experience of the Messenger.

Any doubt that Mary might have entertained must have been erased when her older relative—her obviously very pregnant relative as all could see—started speaking so loudly about Mary’s baby.  Mary probably hadn’t told many people, so how could Elizabeth have known?

Mary hears the words “mother of my Lord” for the first, but probably not the last time. “You are blessed”—the same words that Gabriel had used!

You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Well, that must be true, Mary could have thought! I do believe or I wouldn’t even be here.  I am pregnant. I do believe that nothing is impossible for God—I’ve always believed that!

Just because she believed the Lord would do what he said?  That’s rather basic to Christian faith, isn’t it? Is that really enough to be chosen and blessed above all others?

That encourages me! Let’s give it a try—just believing that the Lord will do what He says! Let’s believe that He is Coming!