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!”
Can you imagine the journey that Mary is on at this point in the story? Traveling to visit her cousin, wondering what she would say when she revealed her pregnancy. I’m sure she was coming up with just how to word it. I can feel her heart beating harder and harder as they approached her cousin’s home.
And then… utter relief. Her cousin comes barreling towards her with a big smile on her face. Her own child has testified from the womb that the Savior had come. Mary must have been overwhelmed to have company in her belief. I picture tears in her eyes as they embrace and she can finally say, “Yes, Lord. I am not alone.”
This Christmas season I am reflecting on the hope of God’s promises. The promise of peace and joy sounds great in a world that is wracked with chaos and sin. But hope is not always easy. In fact, hope in the midst of chaos is quite difficult.
But then I think of Mary. This young defiant teenager with the Savior of the world in her womb. She carries that hope all the way to her cousin’s home. And when she’s greeted, she shares that hope with another.
We were never meant to carry our hope alone. Proclaiming the promises of God can be scary. Do I sound crazy when I believe that God is good even when the world isn’t? How do I keep believing that God is in control when everything around me is falling apart? Like Mary, we need others to carry our hope with us. We need each other to tell the story and proclaim the promises!
This holiday season, know that you do not hope alone. FCC hopes with you. Your church family walks with you! We believe together, we hope together, we walk together. God will fulfill God’s promises. Let us witness the goodness of God together.
What promise do you need to be reminded of this season?
Who can hold that promise with you?
