Exploring Christmas: The Home of Elizabeth

Introduction/Scripture

Luke 1:39–45 NIV

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Pray.

Over the last 6 years of ministry I have focused much of my effort to positioning people in community. You will hear a lot about this in our time together in the coming years because I believe it is central to our calling as Christians. I like to think I am a good communicator/preacher, etc. But early in ministry I found that you can give everything to Sunday morning and it might be fantastic but it produces little lasting fruit. I began to realize that in small groups of people living life with one another there is something special about God’s transformative activity.

In advent we prepare ourselves and orient our lives of faith around the truth that God has come in Jesus.

Remember:

“Nearly one-third of evangelicals in the survey agreed that Jesus isn't God, compared to 65 percent who said ‘Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.’”

So when we come to passages like this we don’t quite know what to do with them. This series we have been working with the revelation of God in the incarnation. God breaking into the story.

Here God breaks in with community.

Background:

Let’s set the scene, Scripture says Mary “hurried” (other translations say went with haste), she hurries to a Judea town, near Jerusalem.

Show picture.

3-5 days journey, could be dangerous for a woman with child but she is determined to go. Why hurry off. Could be several factors.

excitement and bewilderment at this news and what God was doing.

Could be some real practical reasons like Mary needed to find community ASAP. Where she was in Nazareth would be a tough time around people she knew.

So she hurries off with urgency and makes it to Elizabeth and Zechariah’s home. Upon entering and greeting Elizabeth, this baby…6 months along at this point already recognizes his purpose and the nearness of the Lord.

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit

(side note: this is not like a magic download being filled with the Spirit). God’s love and power filling the individual.

Faith, Hope, Love

This morning, I want to be clear…we can sometimes drop ourselves into the story. Compare experiences as prescribed experiences in our life. We are not Mary and Elizabeth, or Joseph and Zecharias. However the gospel writers are promoting their faith and lessons learned for us to consider.

So we stand in awe at the annuciation. And we can launch from this story to speak into some important things this morning. God moving in community.

Where two or more are gathered....

Jesus says where two or more are gathered, there I will be, Matthew 18:19-20.

Isn’t it interesting that the Holy Spirit comes on Elizabeth when they are together? She is 6 months pregnant at this point with a baby that is miraculously given (not in the same as Mary) but barrenness reversed. It does not happen before, it happens here in the presence of Mary.

Two women pregnant. I am going to try and not speak to this in ways that are outside my ability to speak to. I have to go home to a momma who has experienced pregnancy a few times.

Have you ever seen pregnant women drawn to each other. They do not have to know one another at all but they have a shared experience that noone else can relate to. So I imagine that can be a lonely place.

Now mind you, Zecharias is mute…there is a dig somewhere here for the guys in the room that live in their house mute to spouse and kids. Whew but that would be meddling wouldn’t it?

Joseph responds in faith but he has to be a mess right now.

Mary and Elizabeth are drawn to eachother, not just because “I dont know” they are responsible for salvation coming into the world…but also because they need one another.

And when they come together in intentionality and desperation even....God shows up.

You know what that sounds like to me? Life.Better.Together.

God reveals himself more often through relationships and more than that through intentional community focused on God’s work in the world and our lives.

If you are living on an island…I imagine things are not going so hot.

Community testifying to one another

But let me challenge our notion of life groups. I have seen this in every large church that I have served. We build this menu of life groups....usually broken apart into demographics. Empty-nesters, 30 something with kids, 50+ single who likes basket weaving and riding harleys, you get what I am saying.

I dont want FMC to have multigenerational life groups, I want FMC to have life groups that are multigenerational. You know why? I love you, 30 year olds with children…but I need to be in community with people that have survived this combat-field of chaos. I need spiritual parents and guides to the faith. I need to be in community with the person who knows what it is to face life-altering hardships or their floorboards have rough spots from decades of kneeling in prayer.

Life groups tend to be sterile social gatherings. Dont email me this week about your group....I am speaking in general terms. But a life group is one where we testify to what Christ is doing in our lives and hold eachother to the narrow path. We pray for one another. We show up in the difficult patches of life.

Sunday school....catering.

Discipleship can be summed up this way: Stay with Jesus, become like Jesus, Do what he did.

Most of our life groups can be learning about Jesus or social hour.

When we testify to our faith with one another....that is where God brings deeper revelation.

Think of the hospital room this week. Praying with a family…and when i finished, I realized many more Amen’s sang out than the group I was praying with.

Blessed are you who believes...

Elizabeth’s response is to call Mary blessed for she believes in the promises of God.

Luke 1:45 NIV

45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

This word blessed…Maakarios.... it could mean happy, joyful, good, blessed is the one who trusts in that the promises of God will come to pass.

Luke Mary’s Meeting with Elizabeth (1:39–45)

Here is the essence of response to God, to trust his word to be true and live in light of that belief.

Trust and joy are two vital aspects of a successful walk with God.

Let me bring all this together: trusting in God’s promises comes from walking in community that witness to these promises coming true. When we gather together and do life together we build our faith muscle. It is a training and a focus that forms us to see God and believe in God’s work. And for the person that trusts in God’s promises....there can be unshakeable joy in this life.