(Audio)
Christmas is not meant to be only a past event, experienced from a distance. The coming of Jesus into the world is meant to be a reality that marks our lives continually, for he never ceases to draw near to those who are open to his coming.
Christmas is meant to be a time of special grace to experience the coming of our Lord to each one of us. It is meant to be the anchor that helps us remember how to welcome him whenever he chooses to come to us throughout the coming year. And yet, with the busyness inherent in the holiday season, with all of the external trappings, the planning, the schedules, and everything else, not to mention the challenges of a particularly difficult year, it can be hard to be present enough to the grace of Christmas to receive it.
Elizabeth was legitimately busy. No one could fault her for being pregnant with a miraculous child. But her circumstances left unchallenged might have kept her from receiving the joy of Christmas that Jesus did in fact intend for her to have. Fortunately, Mary went to help her.
Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
Mary brought the joy of Christmas near to Zechariah and Elizabeth, people who were intended to receive it, but who were definitely too busy with their own situations to even notice that anything unusual had happened.
Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Mary brings Jesus to us as well, just as she did for Elizabeth. No wonder, then, that we take up the cry of Elizabeth and say "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." So if we seem too busy with something which the Lord is bringing to birth in us, too busy with the fruit we feel called to bear for others in this season, the Lord doesn't want us to miss the grace and blessings he intends for each of us individually. The secret to receiving these blessings is inviting Mary into our lives and our busyness to help us. She is new the New Ark of the Covenant who brings with her the presence of her son. And in doing so she brings Christmas near to us.
It is as though the presence of Mary itself was the physical embodiment of the words of Zephaniah:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
Bearing fruit for God as Elizabeth does, the compassion that Mary shows, these are important aspects of the holiday season and they ought not be neglected. But they are meant to be the backdrop to something happening at a deeper level within us all, where the presence of Jesus comes to us and we in turn bring that presence to others. The best way to experience this is to first invite Mary to visit us and to bring Christmas near. It was in no particular external activity, not primarily in what she or Mary did, that Elizabeth found joy. It was being near to Mary that allowed Elizabeth to experience the presence of her son. So we can rest easy when we don't know how to pray, or precisely how to best live our relationship with our mother. It is enough to be near to her.
Mary already understood that God was doing something new and wonderful in the son to whom she would give birth. The world had been in a spiritual winter for longer than anyone could remember. But she sensed spring about to break forth.
For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
To us it may still very much appear to be winter in every sense, physically and spiritually, especially in this challenging year. But Mary is the one who not only perceives the hope on the horizon but is able to share it with others, helping them to invite it and welcome it as she does. This is the attitude of being ready for Christmas, and it is a gift that God wants to give each of us through Mary.
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.
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