Sundays with Sammy 1 June 2014

1st June 2014Mary's Visit to Elizabeth – Luke 1:39-56

Today we celebrate the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. In typical Anglican lectionary style, this feast can be observed on July 2nd which this year is a Wednesday, so perhaps they thought it better to make it a Sunday celebration.

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There is a lot happening in the church at the moment. Saint’s Days are upon us daily, and I think in May there are only 9 days where we are not remembering or celebrating the life of someone who, loosely, had nothing, overcame obstacles and adversary, preached and taught with huge fortitude, became loved by all (we’ll come to various hermits at another time!)…and then they seem to die a horrible, sometimes very early, death…for their devotion to God.

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One person who was, by her very action, possibly the most dedicated woman we know. That is Mary, the mother of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I have recently written a presentation about Mary, her visit from the Angel Gabriel, and what would have happened if Mary had said ‘no’ to him?? But you can hear that closer to the time we celebrate that glorious day!

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But Mary did say yes, and she, as prophesised by Isaiah in 4:7 does conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. Then, she goes to see her cousin, who according to St. Luke, was a cousin of Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah, who was herself part of the lineage of Aaron and so of the tribe of Levi….brother to Joseph, he of the multi-coloured coat fame from Genesis 39! Lineage and genealogy in the Bible will certainly keep you on your toes, you just wait until we’re going through it during Advent – it is really fascinating, and puts much of God’s work and how he calls people, and who he calls into a fantastic perspective. I promise you will feel much better about yourself after that! But now back to Mary and Elizabeth.

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Much like the Annunciation, we only read about the Visitation in Luke’s Gospel; and rather frustratingly, the whole New Testament tells little of Mary's early history. Phyllis G. Jestice in Holy people of the world: a cross-cultural encyclopedia, Volume 3. Published in 2004 tells us The 2nd century Gospel of James is the first source to name her parents as Joachim and Anne, there is also talk of a sister named Mary, but she is more likely to be her sister-in-law, the wife of Joseph's brother, Cleophas.

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As names are so important in the Bible, so let us have a quick look at a few we’re talking about here. Elizabeth may mean ‘God’s promise’, or ‘my God is generous’. 

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Mary means ‘wise woman’ or ‘lady’. It is a Greek form of the Hebrew Miriam, and was the most popular woman's name at the time.  Hence confusion between Mary Magdalen, and other Mary’s throughout the New Testament!

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John means ‘God has been gracious’.

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Zechariah means 'God has remembered'. 

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Elizabeth, who was previously thought to be barren, is miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist. We are told that Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation (when the angel tells her that she is about to do probably the most important job in the history of creation to that point) and went "into the hill country...into a city of Judah" (Luke 1:39) to attend her cousin Elizabeth. There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem. The journey was about 100 miles and would have taken around four days to do. Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy before Mary turned up and she stayed for about three months. Most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John, which makes sense when you add 6 and 3 but there are no details about the birth of John. Some believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy (as indeed Esau and Jacob did in Rebekha’s womb in Genesis 25) as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognised the presence of Jesus. So Mary, now for the first time, is able to exercise her function as physical intercessor between God and man. "And she [Elizabeth] spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42–45)." It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth's remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat.  Let’s hear it in full…

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46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

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Is this the first recorded baby shower?

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So, Gabriel had just left her, and the first thing she does is prepare to leave and visit Elizabeth, her cousin. Gabriel had told her Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, a testament to the power of God.

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To our modern way of thinking, Mary surely deserved to stay home to rest and take care of herself, now that she herself was expecting. And after all, the angel had said this child would be the holy Son of God!  That certainly deserves some pampering and special treatment!

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But I suspect Mary was overjoyed at the news of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and couldn't wait to get there and share the wonder of it all with her. Now the two of them could delight in each other's miracles and bask in the glory of God and all He had done by His power alone. I can easily imagine them hugging and laughing and fussing over each other.

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It's really a simple lesson this mystery teaches - take care of each other. Even when you have good reason for worrying only about yourself, try to find a way to care for someone else also. I'm your neighbour and you're mine. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to care for each other and meet the other's needs. But will we?

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And what about the neighbour we don't particularly like, or the neighbour we just can't stand? There's where it gets sticky! Even then, we are asked to find ways to show love. Love that is hard to give, love that requires a real sacrifice, love that is on-purpose-even-though-I-really-don't-want-to is the truest of all.

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A good place to start is our own families. Love-on-purpose that family member you don't like being around. Love-on-purpose the one who irritates you to no end. Love-on-purpose the relative you have nothing in common with. Love the one who just plain drives you crazy. Do it as unto Jesus, and watch how your heart changes.

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Be happy for the blessings in your family member's lives and celebrate with them. Rejoice in their good fortune without envy, and bear their sorrow with them whenever you can. Pray for them. Bring Christ to your family, as Mary literally brought Christ to Elizabeth's.

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Heavenly father, wondrous SAVIOUR, help me to be generous with my time and talents, and to reach out to my neighbours with the love of Jesus.

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Next week it’s Pentecost. Wear something red, have the bunting at the ready; that is a birthday party you won’t want to miss!

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