In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed with a loud cry:
“You are the most blessed of 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! She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!”
Luke 1:39-45
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I remember the months before each one of my children were born…and the excitement and fear all wrapped into one emotion. And what made it even better? If a few friends were pregnant at the same time, too. There is something about sharing those times. And Mary was no different.
Yes, she was carrying the Savior of the world but she was also just a girl, a simple one at that, excited about sharing this time with her cousin who was also with child. The children would be cousins and friends. I imagine their conversations went late into the night. Talks of swollen feet and aching backs. Maybe of how ready they were to meet each baby. Yes, they were ready!
“How could this happen to me, the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth got to touch the belly where Jesus was. And today, He lives inside of us. We are the blessed ones. We are the ones full of joy. So what will we do with it—this excitement? Who will we share the good news with? There is a hurting world that has lost some of it’s hope. And we know that Jesus is the answer to it all.
Yes, He came as a small little baby but grew into a man who would lead a group of disciples. They would love Him so much that they would leave it all behind, just to follow Him wherever He would go. He would give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He would love the least of these, feeling more at home with them. He loved all people so much that He would ultimately die for each one. Even you! He is coming again here to earth to take us to Heaven to live there forever. I get chills just thinking about it.
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But there are some who are still lost and hurting this Christmas season. If this is you, and you don’t know Jesus, I urge you to pray this prayer with me.
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I am so tired of doing this on my own. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died to take away all sin, including mine. I will get to live with You forever. Please forgive me for my sins. I trust You now with my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
