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. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
-Luke 1:39-56 NRSV
Season of Surprise
And, yet again, God surprises! Advent is a season built on surprising announcements from God and from angels. While we are surrounded in this life by the potential for surprise at any moment, we are taught by society to do everything we can to avoid surprises and to make life as predictable as possible. Can or should we prepare for surprise?
Without a doubt, preparation is important and can be lifesaving. When it involves our health, the weather, our budget, heating, plumbing, our next meal, transportation, or the roof we may be fortunate enough to have over our head, the element of surprise is rarely a pleasant proposition for most of us.
But doesn’t it seem that surprise is inevitable in life when God is bigger than we humans can fully define or imagine? God who deals in things called “miracles?” Can we prepare for surprise, however big or small?
In our scripture, Elizabeth and Mary met in a world which had been nothing but surprising for them, lately. First of all, Elizabeth at age 88 was pregnant. She was expecting a baby who would be named John who would “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, a priest who met regularly with God in the Temple, couldn’t believe the surprising pregnancy news even though it came from a messenger from the God with whom he had been meeting. Gabriel, the angel of God, after announcing to him that Elizabeth was to have a child, told Zechariah he would be mute because he couldn’t believe the surprising news.
And how did Elizabeth take the surprise? “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.” (Luke 1:25) Elizabeth welcomed the news because she knew and trusted the source of the surprise.
Elizabeth must have also been a bit surprised by the visit from her very young, unmarried cousin Mary who was pregnant, as well. Once again, Elizabeth greeted the surprise visit from her cousin with grace, generosity, and thanksgiving. And (here is where I feel like dropping to my knees), her unborn son, John, leaped for joy at the surprising visit of his unborn future King, Jesus, the Son of the Most High. One unborn baby leaping for joy at meeting another unborn baby! I’m pretty confident that we can call this surprise a miracle…
What was teenage and unmarried Mary’s reaction to being surprised that as a virgin she would give birth to the Son of God? “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”
We have a lot to learn from Mary and Elizabeth about how to deal with surprise. As shocking as these announcements had to be for each of them, they knew their God well. They were prepared for these shocking surprises because they trusted the God they knew with their very lives and the future.
As Mary proclaimed, God surprises the world by looking with favor on the lowly, blessing the servant, bestowing mercy on those who fear him, dispersing the proud, bringing down the powerful, lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and sending the rich away empty.
Count on it. God is not finished with surprising us. Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Can this time of Advent help us be prepared for surprises? Even with only three days left before we welcome the holy Infant? How about if we learn from the examples offered by Elizabeth and Mary and use the remaining days of Advent to begin or continue to build a trusting relationship with God whom we prepare to welcome in Bethlehem? A relationship that will grow well beyond Advent. A relationship which helps prepare us for any surprises that come along. Let’s learn what it means to have a heart that prays without ceasing. Read scripture with a hungry soul open to surprise. Seek out others who can walk this journey with us just as Mary sought out Elizabeth. Like Elizabeth, find a way to welcome a soul when we encounter one who needs a hug and/or an ear. Share light in this world that can be so dark. Be kind whether or not we are greeted with kindness.
Don’t miss the surprising miracles that are sure to happen along this journey to a manger filled with surprise and miracle.
George Justice
Postulant for Holy Orders
Church of the Resurrection, OKC