Wonder - Day 15
The wonder of anticipation
Luke 1:39-45
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
By the time you’re reading this reflection, we are just 10 days away from Christmas and I’m sure that for anyone in your household under the age of 12, the excitement is palpable. Maybe you’ve already wrapped presents to put under the tree and they’re spending every waking moment trying to figure out what they could be. Or maybe you have relatives coming to your house that you haven’t seen in a while, or you’re traveling to see them, and you can’t wait to get your arms around them and spend time playing games, laughing together, and reminiscing.
Christmas is full of the wonder of anticipation.
I absolutely love today’s passage, when Elizabeth tells Mary that as soon as she heard her greeting, “the baby in my womb jumped for joy.” Palpable excitement. Not even the baby in her womb could contain his joy at what was about to be fulfilled. My heart is racing just writing these thoughts.
Just imagine the anticipation in that room. Elizabeth was pregnant, a pregnancy she had longed for her whole life. She used to daydream about feeling the growth of life in her belly, and now, every night, she goes to bed feeling John move and keep her up at night. She is so filled with joy, awe, and wonder that soon, her wait will be over and she will be a mommy.
Of course, the passage starts off with Mary hurrying to the hill country of Judea to see her relative, because she’s anxious to share the news with someone. She’s anxious to not feel so alone. She’s anxious to find someone who knows a bit of what she’s going through and who won’t judge her for being pregnant before she is married.
Then lastly, they are both wild with anticipation and the promised future of the children in their wombs. One will usher in the other, and both are a part of God’s plan to bring freedom, forgiveness, and a new reign to their world. As they spent time together, I imagine a their level of excitement similar to those children on Christmas morning, who wake up at 5am to run downstairs and rip open those gifts that have been staring them in the face for weeks.
I can’t help but think of two songs; Joyful, Joyful and Joy to the World.
Joyful, joyful, we adore you, God of glory, Lord of love. Oh how my heart yearns for this joy to be my ever-present response to the God who loves us so much that He came down to rescue us.
We rejoice because we know, “He will rule the world with truth and grace, and wonders of his love.”
Oh the wonder of anticipation, even expressed by some of the last words found in Scripture, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20, NIV)
QUESTIONS
Luke 1:39-45
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
By the time you’re reading this reflection, we are just 10 days away from Christmas and I’m sure that for anyone in your household under the age of 12, the excitement is palpable. Maybe you’ve already wrapped presents to put under the tree and they’re spending every waking moment trying to figure out what they could be. Or maybe you have relatives coming to your house that you haven’t seen in a while, or you’re traveling to see them, and you can’t wait to get your arms around them and spend time playing games, laughing together, and reminiscing.
Christmas is full of the wonder of anticipation.
I absolutely love today’s passage, when Elizabeth tells Mary that as soon as she heard her greeting, “the baby in my womb jumped for joy.” Palpable excitement. Not even the baby in her womb could contain his joy at what was about to be fulfilled. My heart is racing just writing these thoughts.
Just imagine the anticipation in that room. Elizabeth was pregnant, a pregnancy she had longed for her whole life. She used to daydream about feeling the growth of life in her belly, and now, every night, she goes to bed feeling John move and keep her up at night. She is so filled with joy, awe, and wonder that soon, her wait will be over and she will be a mommy.
Of course, the passage starts off with Mary hurrying to the hill country of Judea to see her relative, because she’s anxious to share the news with someone. She’s anxious to not feel so alone. She’s anxious to find someone who knows a bit of what she’s going through and who won’t judge her for being pregnant before she is married.
Then lastly, they are both wild with anticipation and the promised future of the children in their wombs. One will usher in the other, and both are a part of God’s plan to bring freedom, forgiveness, and a new reign to their world. As they spent time together, I imagine a their level of excitement similar to those children on Christmas morning, who wake up at 5am to run downstairs and rip open those gifts that have been staring them in the face for weeks.
I can’t help but think of two songs; Joyful, Joyful and Joy to the World.
Joyful, joyful, we adore you, God of glory, Lord of love. Oh how my heart yearns for this joy to be my ever-present response to the God who loves us so much that He came down to rescue us.
We rejoice because we know, “He will rule the world with truth and grace, and wonders of his love.”
Oh the wonder of anticipation, even expressed by some of the last words found in Scripture, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20, NIV)
QUESTIONS
- When it comes to the Christmas season, what are some things you look forward to with great anticipation?
- Have you ever been so filled with joy in the Lord that your body responded without your prompting? If so, what happened?
- What’s one of your favorite Christmas songs and why?
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