Waiting Together

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,  where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth." Luke 1:39-40

Holding an unbelievable secret, Mary ran for the hills--quite literally--seeking the only one sharing her inexplicable circumstance.

Who would believe she received a visit from an angel, let alone a personal word from God and most explosively, carried his son in her belly by some miraculous conception? Who could fathom God's choice in Mary, an engaged, Jewish peasant girl?

 Only Elizabeth.

 And so Mary ran; ran as fast as her pregnant legs could carry her to Elizabeth--the only woman who understood the great honor and the great horror of carrying God's Promise into a dark, confused world.

 I often imagine their relationship those three months--Elizabeth's relief to finally have a two-way conversation after six months living with mute Zechariah; Mary's doubts replaced as Elizabeth's undeniably swollen womb leaps for joy at her voice; Elizabeth's nurturing arms wrapped around Mary's retching body, feeding her unleavened bread and water until the nausea passed; their giggles watching Mary's tight, slender waist disappear under Christ-child bump--their hearts humbled knowing they carried fulfilled prophesies within--the second Elijah and God's Word made flesh--Immanuel.

Oh, can you imagine all the joys and fears and hope shared around Elizabeth's table? How wise for God to provide this companionship--this small community--to sustain one another physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Hasn't it been like that since Creation? God created man and woman to fulfill His desire for communion (with us and us with each other). We are meant to live in community--to share one another's burdens, joys, fears, accomplishments. But even more, we live to infuse God's hope and courage into one another's lives; to help tie the knots at the ends of our ropes and strengthen our hearts through God's word. We are God-flesh to others.

This Christmas, are you in need of some God-flesh wrapped around your shoulders? Pray God's provision for that person (s) who can wrap arms, speak encouragement, nourish starved, lonely hearts. Are you that God-flesh to someone in desperate need? Draw near and encourage that heart.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  1Thessalonians 5:11

Lord, in the business of today, may we seek community--May we be your light, your arms, your love made flesh to those in need; not just the poor, but also the poor in spirit, the lonely, those in need of divine encouragement. Amen

Waiting Expectantly

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Luke 1:45

Waiting is difficult when you don't know what you're waiting for.

Think of the last time you asked a child to wait without reason. What's the first thing out of their mouth? "Why?" They demand a reason for the imposition of waiting. They want to know, "Is my waiting worth it? Is there a purpose to my waiting?"

The Christmas story begins with people waiting--Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary. Visited by the angel Gabriel, God promises both Zechariah and Mary sons (John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth and Jesus, the Messiah, to Mary and Joseph). But unlike our weak parenting answer for waiting ("Because I said so") God defines their purpose for waiting with a promise.

To John: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord...Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17 NIV).

To Mary: "But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33 NIV).

And they waited with a sense of expectancy (literally and spiritually), trusting that God's promise was indeed already active inside of them. They did not believe that "nothing" would become "something" but rather they believed the "something started" would grow into "something greater" by God's hand through them (Henri Nouwen, Waiting for God, Watch for the Light, 2001 Orbis Books).

Faith that God would make good of his promises based on his past faithfulness is how they  waited--with eyes wide open and with great expectancy.

What has God promised you? Are you waiting expectantly in faith that what God said will come to pass? Do you find yourself tired of waiting? If so, ask God to remind you of his promise for waiting. Write it down. Post it where you can refer to it often and wait with a sense of expectancy.

"Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:45

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. May we cling to your promises with hope and wait with great expectancy for your day of completion. Grow our faith, Lord as we wait.