December 20, 2009

Blessing: A Gift of Giving and Receiving

Micah 5:2-4; Luke 1:39-45

Introduction

Expectations! All of us have expectations for what life is supposed to be like: expectations for ourselves, for others, and yes, for God. Sometimes they can spur on success, accomplishment, and fulfillment when they are realistic, healthy expectations. But they can also cause enormous pressure, disappointment, anxiety or even hopelessness when they are out of balance, unrealistic or impossible.

What do you expect from your family; from your church, from your pastors; from work, from friends; what do you expect from God? Are they healthy, balanced, true expectations? Or do they reach far beyond real possibility or potential?

As Christmas approaches, we can experience both what I would call Advent Mourning and Advent Hope: crying out to God for help in the midst of personal struggle or world conflict; but also claiming God’s promises already fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as well as certainty we have for the future by faith in the Lord.

I vaguely remember when I was about 10 years old, a hydroelectric dam was to be built across a valley somewhere in New Jersey. There were orchards of apple trees surrounding a small town of people who were forced to relocate. I remember feeling angry about it (imminent domain is always a contentious issue). During the time between the decision to build the dam and its completion, the houses and businesses in the town fell into disrepair. What was a beautiful little town soon became an eyesore. One resident simply said, “Where there is no hope in the future, there is no work in the present.”

How is your hope this morning; your love, your peace, your joy – as the advent wreath offers? How is your faith in God and his promises? What are your expectations for Christmas? How will you frame your expectations of the Lord?

I. Blessedness for Mary and Elizabeth

In the Gospel reading for today, both Elizabeth and Mary are pregnant. Mary is very young, engaged, not married, and pregnant. Elizabeth is quite old, childless, beyond the years of having children, yet pregnant (talk about changes and challenges in expectations for life!). These two extremes are important because Christmas is the story of what God has done for our salvation rather than what we do to help God. Both women are walking miracles. Both are in their situation because of God’s initiative to do something about our sinful predicament. They have come together to share with each other what women share when they are pregnant.

Obviously, we men cannot imagine the feelings, the emotions, the sharing that pregnant women know. Women are blessed with being much better at finding someone to share with. Notice how Joseph and Zechariah are absent in the story. Typical men: standing around, shaking their heads, befuddled by what’s happening, keeping to themselves. Zechariah was rendered speechless by the angel (no surprise there in Luke 1:19-20). And Joseph needed a powerful dream to settle the reality of God’s will in his life, for Mary and for the baby to come (Matthew 1:18-21).

We all know that men get together to compete, to make business deals, to manage others. Seldom do we get together to share intimate feelings like Mary and Elizabeth do here. Not only do they share and affirm and support each other, but Elizabeth and Mary also rejoice at the promised coming of the Messiah. Both give and receive a blessing from the Lord and from each other.

Luke, the gospel writer, must have been an exceptional man. He must have spent time with Mary after the death and resurrection of Jesus because there is so much information in his gospel account (not found in Matthew, Mark, or John) that only Mary would know. With his own transformative faith in Christ, Luke was sympathetic to women and others who did not have social or political clout. And he knew that the story of the Incarnation of God’s Son touches women in a unique way.

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country.” Unmarried, pregnant, and now more than showing, Mary needed to get away. Imagine the growing scorn in her village. “Mary got ready and hurried” off.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped for joy.” “Mary, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” Mary may have had other expectations for when she arrived. But Elizabeth blesses her. What a great gift that is when someone offers you blessing in the midst of a difficult life situation.

Elizabeth uses the same word that Jesus would so famously use in the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed… blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Mary knew these blessings and Elizabeth confirms them.

Then Elizabeth said, “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth knew that Mary was carrying the promised Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, her “Lord.” Imagine the conversations these two amazing women had not only then but in the days and years to come?

Last week we sang the song “Mary, Did You Know… that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Mary, did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb? This child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you! This sleeping child you’re holding is the Great I AM.” Advent hope was certainly a main topic of their conversation. But I’m sure that Advent Mourning would also some their way. After all Elizabeth’s son John the Baptist was executed by Herod. And Mary’s son Jesus was crucified.

The Spirit-driven message of this pre-Christmas story tells of two women sharing not only the very personal experience of pregnancy, but also the amazement of God’s intervention into human life in order to save humankind from the tyranny of sin and death. Elizabeth and Mary blessed and received blessing from each other as their expectations for life shifted and changed with their unique relationship with God and their unusual pregnancies.

II. Blessedness for You and Me

This blessedness is a deep, spiritual happiness or fulfillment that grows and grows to such a degree that the person who gives or receives it trusts the promises of God in spite of the circumstances in which you may find yourself. As Elizabeth said to Mary, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” It says that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

During that time, Mary composed what is known as the Magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name… He has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things…” Mary offers us a beautiful, poetic picture of her blessing now shared as great encouragement in faith to countless believers over the centuries.

C.S. Lewis put his hand to a bit of poetry, imagining himself in the cave or stable with the animals when Jesus was born. Not as glorious as Mary’s poetry, but perhaps typical man-thinking:

Conclusion

What are your expectations for Christmas 2009? As the feverous pace of the world’s Christmas intensifies this week, whether you are a woman or a man, keep your expectations for each other, for the church, and for Christ in balance – true to God’s word. The Advent-coming of our Lord offers comfort to the sorrowful, faith to the doubter, peace to the troubled. Think of intentional ways in which you will bless someone else during this Christmas week. With Elizabeth and Mary, may we be filled with awe, humbly receptive, purified by his presence, enabled to be a blessing to others as the opportunity comes. These are His gifts of grace this Christmas.

Let us pray together.