December 20-The Visitation-Luke 1:39-55

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Amen.

‘Grace, mercy and peace will be with you, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.’ (2 John 3) Amen.

‘And she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”’ (Vv. 40-42)

In a city in India, named Krishnasamadrum, lived an old, blind Christian teacher, whose heart burned for the Savior. Like Simeon, (St. Lk. 2:30) this man had seen the salvation of the Lord, though in his case it was by the spirit that he had seen it. So, he could not help but go and tell others of this salvation.

One day, a missionary came and passed through that city. He found 26 converts ready for baptism, converts brought forward by that old, faithful teacher. So a little congregation was organized. That small church grew until the name of the city was changed from “the City of Krishna” (the pagan god) to “the City of Christ,” Kristasamadrum[1].

Such a response brought out by faith in the Savior, this is what we heard from Elizabeth in today’s Gospel lesson. We even saw it given by her unborn son, John the Baptizer. After all, he leapt in her womb!

This child would bring many to a preparation for faith in the promised Savior, Jesus. He would plant the seeds for untold numbers of faithful followers of Christ. John’s preaching in preparation for Jesus’ preaching planted the seed of faith even in some of the disciples and so in turn prepared the way for the changing of the Roman Empire from a pagan empire to a Christian empire!

We have all of these canticles like the one from Mary in our Gospel set to music. Mary’s is the Magnificat; we have that to sing during the order of Vespers (TLH p. 41). Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus, which comes with the birth of John, is the alternate canticle for today’s order of service (p. 32). Simeon’s song and the song of the angels are given for us to use in the regular Sunday service in the Gloria in Excelsis and the post-Communion canticle, the Nunc Dimittis (p. 5 and 15).

The names come from the first word in Latin. However, Elizabeth’s song is not so recorded. We do not have it set to music. Except, she did sing these words when Mary greeted Elizabeth at her door and John leapt in her womb. All of these are responses of faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to the events shown to these faithful saints.

They sang because singing is the highest form of praise we humans can give. ‘Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.’ (Ps. 96:1, 2)

Let us back up though, ‘In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah’ (V. 39). I back up to the beginning of our reading because this is a humble thing that Mary does. She did not have to, but chose to go and see her cousin to serve her. Those ladies, who conceived and were pregnant later, you understand the need of a helper.

Now, imagine conceiving a child now. That is, when you are long past naturally being able to conceive and bear a child. This was the position Elizabeth found herself in. Yet, many mothers, if they have a child later in life have other children in the house who could help. Elizabeth had no such help. She had never born any other children and very likely was not in the position of Sarah. Abraham was wealthy and could afford a slave to be only concerned with Sarah’s needs. When Sarah bore Isaac, she had Hagar to serve her and help when she had need. (Gen. 17:15-21; 21:1-21)

Elizabeth was not in such a prime economic position. Her husband, Zechariah, was not wealthy and so could not afford to hire someone to help her during her pregnancy. So, as I stated, Mary came to serve her cousin. As a virgin, and an attentive one, she came that she might commit herself to ministering to a woman of advanced age. Mary came to help at the end of the pregnancy, when Elizabeth would most need her assistance. So also, you and I can show Christ to our neighbor by helping him in his need.

This was a humble thing for Mary to do, she could have complained that it was too long of a journey and she would soon not be in a position to help anyway. After all, she, having already conceived Jesus in her womb (Vv. 26-38). She did not have to go and help her cousin. Yet, as we find out through the latter half of our reading, in Mary’s song, she is a humble young girl. She did not see it as being above her to serve her cousin Elizabeth, to help the older woman in her need[2].

‘And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”’ (Vv. 43-45)

How true are the words of the prophet, ‘but this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.’ (Is. 66:2; see also, LXX) What the prophet means by the speaking of the Lord looking upon someone is, upon whom does my spirit rest. In other words, the pregnant woman Elizabeth. She, and also Mary, were humble women. They did not see or count this as being because of their own merit that these things should be happening to either one. Elizabeth, though she had been blessed of God to finally bear a child, and what is more a son, which considered a special blessing in the ancient world as in this way the family line would be preserved. She did not count this or her close family relationship to Mary as any reason why Mary might visit her.

Due to the great things that they would have to do as mothers, both of these women would likely have received from the Holy Spirit, a special and extra helping of humility and strength. For consider Mary or Joseph, how would they or any of you here raise a sinless Son? What would you be able to teach him? How would you take knowing that you had sinned in your raising of Him?

Or, consider Elizabeth, she was unlike the mothers of such prophets as Elijah or Isaiah or Micah, their mothers did not know what they would become when they bore them. It was only later that anyone knew that these men would be the great prophets of the Most High God. That status as prophets which they became later by the power of the Holy Spirit. How would you raise even a sinful son knowing that he would be the prophet of God, the very ‘voice of one crying in the wilderness’ (Is. 40:3-5)? I would expect even that would be difficult in its own way. So, very likely, Elizabeth and Zechariah were blessed with an extra measure of humility and strength they would need for their task.[3]

Thank the Lord that He does give us the strength for the tasks He lays before us. You also are given the words to say (cf., St. Lk. 21:13-15), or the humility or the strength or whatever else you may need. You are given such blessings not because of any merit within you, but rather because God has chosen you to do something for Him. As much as you or I or any other Christian fails in our task, one of our tasks is this, to share the hope that is in us (cf., 1 Pt. 3:15) in that place in which we have been put.

It is ours to share this joyous message that Jesus has come. Jesus has become the sacrificial Lamb, sacrificed on the wood of the cross (Gen. 22) to pay for each of your sins. And, our task is also to warn. For as we know, Jesus is coming again. This time there will be no preaching, as Jesus did, ‘“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”’ (St. Mk. 1:15). At that time, it will only be one of two messages. Either, ‘“Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”’. Or, it will be heard, ‘“Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”’ (St. Mt. 25:34, 41)

Praise the Lord that you here will hear that first message. ‘“Come, you who are blessed by my Father”’. Sing with the Psalmist: ‘Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.’ (Ps. 96:1, 2)

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations, CPH, p. 209, entry #979.
[2] ACCS NT vol. III p. 21. Bede the Venerable Homilies on the Gospels 1.4.
[3] ACCS NT vol. III p. 22. Bede the Venerable Homilies on the Gospels 1.4.