First Lutheran Church
May 30, 2021
“The Visit of Mary to Elizabeth”
Luke 1:39-57 39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. 57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
Sermon
“Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth”
Pastor Greg Ronning
On May 31st the Christian Church celebrates the “lesser festival” – “Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth.” Today we recall this wonderful story as recorded in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. In this story Mary travels to be with her relative Elizabeth, both women are unexpectedly pregnant. Both women are in need of the care and comfort of companionship, as they try to understand the mystery of God’s presence in their life. As they meet, Elizabeth becomes the first person to recognize the great thing that is happening to Mary, and Mary responds with a song called “The Magnificat.” This song echoes the song of Hannah found in First Samuel, thanking God for bringing down the powerful and lifting up the poor. But while Hannah sings her song in the official house of worship, Mary sings hers in what many see as - the prototype of the Christian church. Not a holy building but a gathering of the faithful: two women meeting in a home, who rejoice together in what God is doing in the coming of Jesus. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is the very beginning of the church.
The Gospel of Luke begins with the story of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah who served as a priest. Luke tells us, “Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.” Unfortunately, in those days, having children was seen as a blessing from God, and childlessness was seen as a curse. Thus, Elizabeth and Zechariah suffered, despite the fact that they were faithful. Without children they had to endure both an internal and public disgrace. However, God is not done with Elizabeth and Zechariah!
One day while Zechariah is serving in the temple the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” Zechariah responds in doubt, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” And because of his doubt, he is rendered mute, “Unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” And then God does what seems impossible, the unexpected happens. “After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’”
Six months later, the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary with the news of her unexpected pregnancy, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” And before Gabriel leaves, he tells Mary the good news about Elizabeth, “And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” To this Mary declares, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And then, as told in today’s Gospel, “In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”
So it is that these two women, both unexpectedly pregnant, gather together in the strange mystery of God’s presence, to begin a new adventure with God. One is old, “getting on in years,” presumed to be “barren,” and her son will close an era; The other is young, and her son will usher in a new day. Together the old and the young will give birth to the coming and present Kingdom of God.
So, what are the takeaways for us today?
On a personal level, - beware, God does unexpected things! You might think you’re too old or you might think you are too young, but God might think – this is the perfect time to do something in - with - and through - you! God plants seeds in all of us, seeds that will grow into kingdom things.
So it is that Elizabeth and Zechariah continued in prayer, hoping with but a glimpse of the kingdom, trusting in the midst of their suffering, believing in grace in the midst of disgrace, unwittingly expecting in the unexpected.
And so it is that Mary upon hearing the startling and bewildering news of her pregnancy, “went with haste” to see her relative Elizabeth, to gather together with someone else who might be able to understand her situation and provide comfort and care. She needed a mentor and a confidant. She knew that the adventure that lay before her was one that demanded companionship.
God is never done with us, when it comes to the Kingdom, God is ever at work in each of us. And God has provided us a place to go when the Word comes to life in us, when we feel the Spirit stirring things up inside of us. For times such as these God has gathered us up into the church, a community of faith, First Lutheran Church in Downtown Fullerton; The place where we comfort and strengthen each other, the place where the Kingdom emerges from deep within - out into the world. Elizabeth and Mary needed each other, to give birth they needed help, and the same is true for each of us. Living out the unexpected presence of God in our life, demands the relationships that we have with each other in our community of faith. It is only together that we can faithfully proclaim, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
And that brings us to the communal level, what is the takeaway this morning for us, for us as First Lutheran Church?
I find it interesting that Luke begins his Gospel with the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, that the story of the Good News of Jesus Christ begins with the story of an older couple who have not been able to have children, a couple who are now beyond the age of having children. And that this story is then coupled with the story of Mary and Joseph. It seems important that both Mary and Elizabeth suddenly and unexpectedly become pregnant; And that these two women are drawn together in their common experience, to comfort and support each other as they give birth to children who will bring about the Kingdom of God.
As the pandemic comes to an end, as we begin to entertain plans to begin “anew,” it’s important to remember that we need both Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth and Mary both give birth to the emerging Kingdom of God, each in their own unique way. New ways must be blessed by the old ways. New ideas must have their roots in the old ideas. John the Baptist must prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. Jesus must be baptized by John and John must then declare, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Both of them need to show up, and both of them need to be actively involved.
Elizabeth and Mary are not just chronological metaphors, they exist in all of us in a variety of ways. As we seek God’s guidance in the days before us, let us be mindful of both, and the way that each of them give birth to the Kingdom of God, the way that each of them help to make “all things new.”
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is the prototype of the Christian church, the very, very beginning of the church. They gathered together to comfort each other, to strengthen each other, to do things that seemed impossible, to sing and praise the mighty and just deeds of God, and to give birth to a Word made flesh that would be the very love of God.
May we continue to “visit” in that way, may we continue to be blessed by such “visiting,” may we all give birth to the Kingdom. Amen.