Sunday December 22nd, 2024 Worship

I still remember when I found out that I was going to be an aunt. I remember making the drive across Iowa to meet my niece for the first time, just giddy that the day had finally arrived when I could visit her after she was born. We have this picture of her sticking her tongue out at me on day 2, and while I know that she didn’t have control over it, I just had to laugh that this is one of the first pictures of us. I remember how she wanted to be held and walked around; every time I would try to sit down, she would just start crying. The only challenge was that I wasn’t accustomed to carrying around ten pounds for hours on end, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Especially when a few months later, the COVID pandemic broke out and then I moved across the country, and it would be another almost 3 years until I’d see her again. I was and still am so excited to be an aunt; just ask me how much joy it brought me to see her multiple times this year!
This familial relationship, this excitement at hearing about the upcoming births comes across in our Gospel today too. There is so much emotion in this reading today, so much hope for what God is up to in Jesus. And, I love that we have John the Baptist pointing the way, before he is even born, as he is kicking in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary shows up. There is a closeness between Mary and Elizabeth, and that closeness will translate to their sons, the Messiah and the one who will be pointing the way for him. We often talk about Jesus and John the Baptist being cousins, and it’s somewhat difficult to 100% say that this was a biological relationship. Often familial titles were also used for the people who were like family, but it especially adds to our understanding of John the Baptist and Jesus that whether they were biological cousins or not, they were at least understood as such.
But, I also want to focus on the women in this story, not just who they will shortly be giving birth to, because I have often been told that women aren’t allowed to lead in church. People look at the writings of Paul out of context and tell us that our job is to be quiet and listen to the men who have the authority to be preaching and teaching. I’ve gotten less comments about it in the last year, but I do sometimes see the shocked expressions on peoples’ faces when they find out that I’m a pastor. And, I know that my opinion isn’t going to change thousands of years of patriarchal church teachings, but I find myself often wondering how we can hear readings like our story from Luke today and people still say that women don’t have the authority to lead.
Because, our story from Luke today features the pregnant Mary and Elizabeth, as Elizabeth proclaims that Mary is carrying the Messiah, and Mary’s response to that. I don’t know how we can get a bolder proclamation of the Good News of what God has done and is going to do than Mary’s song, the Magnificat, today! Now, I know that it is almost Christmas not Easter, but I also can’t help seeing the parallels between the women being the first at the tomb to find the Resurrected Christ, and our two women today who are the first to truly recognize who this child will be and what he is going to do for the world. When all the disciples were confused, it seems that the women are always noticing and proclaiming what is actually going on!
They are preaching, praying, testifying to who Jesus is going to be and what God is doing for the world. It matters that they see him as the Messiah, that they trust that God is filling the hungry, scattering the powerful, that God is reordering the world to be a more equitable and justice-filled place. That this is the hope of the people who are awaiting the birth of the Messiah. There is so much hope for who these boys will grow up to be. There is also so much trust in God, that these promises will be fulfilled, just as a pregnant Mary is standing before Elizabeth, as God promised to also do.
And, I think that it really matters that Mary and Elizabeth are having these conversations while they are awaiting the birth of their sons. It brings us back to the humble beginnings of both John and Jesus. We are reminded that he isn’t born to a wealthy family, he isn’t born to be a soldier, he isn’t going to have everything in life handed to him. Instead, he is really going to live among the people who are most in need of hearing what he has to say and experience the promises he was speaking of. I love how this story brings us back to the humble, human, beginnings of Jesus, reminding us that he came into the world the same way every other human comes into the world. That he is born to a young mother and a carpenter father. But, he is also going to be born surrounded by love. I mean, look how excited Elizabeth is today and Jesus hasn’t even been born yet!
There is so much hope in today’s story! I’ve talked about how I’m sure these women were also terrified, given who they are told they are going to give birth too and everything their sons’ futures will hold, but like Zechariah’s hymn, Mary’s too is a prayer of hope for the world. Of all the readings we could end Advent with, I’m so glad that we end it with this one. After all the preparation of John the Baptist, and all the speeches about repentance and what we are supposed to be doing, it’s such a good reminder that we are also given grace to exist, to make mistakes, and to be human. That in all of the harsh warnings of last week, we are also reminded of this little child whose birth we are awaiting with Mary and Elizabeth, who comes into the world to also remind us that we are Beloved.
I know I’m trying to jump to Tuesday’s sermon now, but I want us to be able to dwell in those previous weeks of Advent. Of hope, peace, and joy, as we await the fullness of what is to come. This, my friends, is what we get invited into to celebrate with Elizabeth and Mary today, and thank God for these women and their proclamations of faith because they could really see what God was up to in the world!