Leaping For Joy
December 17, Third Tuesday of Advent
Light first (Hope) and second (Peace) purple candles, then the pink (Joy) candle
While Elizabeth’s womb carried this miracle baby, a physical sign of the disgrace she had carried her whole married life being lifted from her, her cousin, young teenage Mary, in the small fishing village of Nazareth along the Sea of Galilee, was about to receive news of a baby who would become a physical sign of her disgrace….or would it?
Read Luke 1:26-45
God sent the angel Gabriel, the same angel who met with Zechariah, by the way, to a virgin named Mary, who was engaged to a man named Joseph of King David’s family. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Lk 1:30) Interestingly Zecharaih was also told by Gabriel not to be afraid, but for a different reason - his prayers had been heard. What prayers? The decades-long prayers for children? For just one child? Zechariah had stopped those prayers a long time ago, as it was completely outside the realm of possibility. Bottom line, he would never again get his or Elizabeth’s hopes up again, just for them to be crushed in disappointment.
So when Mary asks the angel, “How can this be since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” (Lk 1:34) the reader is expecting that she will receive a similar discipline and be silenced. But that is not the case at all. Mary is not silenced, but given more information to answer the question of “how?” Mary believed the angel. Why? Maybe she hadn’t lived long enough to be disappointed by God. Maybe she was content with her life, unburdened by fitfulness or comparison, always wanting more. Regardless, Mary's response was humble yet confident, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be done according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)
The angel had also mentioned that an old cousin, Elizabeth, was pregnant. If Cousin Elizabeth was pregnant at her age, then truly nothing is impossible with God! And if anyone would understand what just happened to her, Elizabeth would. So
Mary set out for a visit with her cousin - they had so much to catch up on!
“Elizabeth!” She heard a woman’s voice calling her name. For the past six months or so, it had been relatively quiet at their house. Zechariah couldn’t speak and Elizabeth had secluded herself while her pregnancy progressed. Who could that be? “Elizabeth” There it was again, but this time louder. Immediately the baby growing inside her leaped for joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit! She threw open the door to find her darling young cousin, Mary. All of a sudden, everything made sense - the questions of “Why me? “Why her?” “Why now?” and Elizabeth, the wife of a priest and nothing more, began to prophesy:
“Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what He has spoken to her!” (Lk 1:42-45
Reflect. Has there ever been a time when you prayed for something so long without receiving, that you gave up asking? Have you ever been completely shocked by what God is obviously doing in your life, but said, “I’m God’s servant, let’s do this!” Why do you think we have great faith to believe for some things from the Lord, but not others?
Sing all four verses of Joy to the World:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Pray the chorus lyrics to this song, Impossible Things by Chris Tomlin:
Chris Tomlin - Impossible Things (Lyric Video) ft. Danny Gokey
There is no healer like the Lord our Maker
There is no equal to the King of Kings
Our God is with us, we will fear no evil
‘Cause You do impossible things.