Questions for a Quiet Christmas #19

We've been looking in Luke 1 at the women involved in the Advent Account. We began with Elizabeth, who faithfully served God and found herself without child, and then Mary, whose marriage had not yet been consummated, but found herself with child. Verse 39 brings them together:

 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

These two women were related, but their relationship is about to become much closer. Both of them will experience the joys and heartaches of having their special sons called to a special ministry for the Lord. As we look on this family reunion, we want to step back and look on the family reunions that will, or maybe will not, take place this year.  Here is the overriding question of the day: Am I rejoicing with those who rejoice? When Elizabeth sees Mary, feels her own baby leap for joy, and recognizes that Mary is mother of the Messiah, she does not do what most of us are prone to do: compare and complain. She does not ask "Why does she get to be Messiah's mother, while my son will wander in the wilderness?" So many family gatherings are filled with comparing and lack of contentment. This year, many hearts and homes will be filled with longing for Christmases past, instead of seeing what is right in front of us and within us. Here is where the key is; it is in the last verse we read, as Elizabeth says: "blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.  The place of blessing is contentment and gratitude for the part and the presents God has given. Our second question to contemplate today is this: Do I believe and give thanks for what God has given and shown to me? At this point, neither baby has been born yet. No visible miracles have appeared; they both are within these women's wombs. Lots of things can still go wrong. But they believe; they rejoice; they encourage one another. May we do the same.