Mary and Elizabeth
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Third Week of Advent
Luke 1:46-55
Mary said to Elizabeth, “My soul magnifies the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior … He remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
These buoyant women might be heavy with child, but they are not weighed down. They are living from the inside out, and their spirits fly toward the sky. Their souls proclaim God’s greatness, their voices echo the proclamation, and their bodies are vibrant with life.
The French call this “joie de vivre.” Joy to the world, o joyouse noël, joyful, joyful we adore thee. God of glory, God of love. In a celebration like this, there isn’t much to be said, but much to be sung.
They had questions, but they didn’t ask them. Instead, Mary and Elizabeth noticed the goodness and mercy of God. They talked about God’s remembered promises, not about whatever they might have thought he didn’t remember.
Mary and Elizabeth knew their psalms. Psalm 89 begins, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make known his faithfulness.” They thought they would sing out this joy, all day and all night.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Then her son John was born. Mary’s son Jesus will be born soon. She carries him and sings to him, and we sit with her, singing too of the Lord’s great love.
During these rich days of waiting, Lord, expand my mind and expand my voice, and let me sing of your great love out of the depths of my heart.
