Faithful friends, faithful God
This blog post is adapted from a talk given at Christ Church Abingdon, UK in December 2023. The Bible excerpt referenced is Luke 1:39-45.
I love this passage. Luke’s account of the Nativity story has taught me so much over the past few years. And these two women - Mary and Elizabeth - have also become two of my favourite people in the Bible and I love the way they interact with each other. Here’s three things I take away from their relationship:
Feeling overwhelmed is okay
Being in community is important
Trusting in God is worth it
Feeling overwhelmed is okay
In our society, we’ve come to beat ourselves up a little bit for feeling overwhelmed. It’s not a thing we often talk about and it’s certainly not a thing many of us shout from the rooftops. We’re embarrassed if we can’t handle everything on our own. And for many of us, we can point to a time in our lives when there has been too much to do that it simply causes us to stop and be unable to do anything. There’s so much to do but absolutely zero capacity. It can be especially hard sometimes when we feel like God is calling us to do the things on our to-do list but we simply don’t have the energy or capacity to do them.
Or, maybe you’re more like me in this phase of my life. I feel like God is calling me to do particular things but I feel either vastly underqualified, like it doesn’t make logical sense, or like it’s just simply unrealistic. The lemons in my scenario are more like questions and endless sequences of self-doubt. And I sometimes wonder if that’s what Mary felt like.
We tend to focus on Mary's joyful willingness to carry and birth Jesus during Advent. And I think that’s good and right to do so. But it’s also important to remember that Mary was a teenage girl who did not have wealth or power to her name. Luke 1:29 says that Mary was ‘greatly troubled’ and like … yeah. Who wouldn't be? An angel showed up at her house. I would be absolutely petrified. There was no guarantee this would be good news. After all, let us not forget that many of the people in Mary’s neighbourhood probably believed you would die if you looked upon the face of God. It is understandable that she may have considered that an angel arriving was just some precursor to a terrible judgement.
The passage continues:
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:30-38 (NIV)
In this passage, Mary doesn’t actually say very much. She has a relevant and important question and then she agrees to abide by the will of God. These are sensible responses and do indicate an open heart and willingness to follow God’s plan for her. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t incredibly overwhelmed. And this next part is important too:
At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke 1:39-40 (NIV)
Or, alternatively…
Mary didn’t waste a minute!
Luke 1:39 (MSG)
I love it. She did what I always do when I’m overwhelmed. She did the 1st century version of calling home. It did probably take her five days to do it though! So, maybe one of the things we can learn from this passage is that it’s okay to be overwhelmed and that there are responses to being overwhelmed that are healthy and good for us. I can just imagine Mary, exhausted from a long few days of travelling and wondering what on earth she was going to tell her friend and cousin Elizabeth, just running into the house and collapsing into Elizabeth’s arms in a great big hug. Elizabeth responds perfectly.
Encouraging one another is important
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41
Part of me wonders if God filling Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit in that moment is not just her baby’s recognition of Jesus as the Son of God in Mary, but also an act of kindness for Mary’s perhaps troubled soul. Imagine trying to explain something as complicated and utterly bizarre as ‘oh yeah, I’m about to be the mother of the Son of God’ to your friend… sounds pretty stressful. But then imagine that your friend has been emotionally prepared to hear it, or even has an instinct that’s what you’re about to tell them. It surely helps.
It’s just a little reminder to us that God is kind, even in those small moments. And this next moment is why I love Elizabeth.
In a loud voice…
Luke 1:42
She says one of the most encouraging things potentially in all of Scripture - ‘blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ (Luke 1:42, NIV). Elizabeth recognises the work of God in Mary and encourages her. God blesses us with people who are encouragers. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we are all instructed to ‘encourage one another and build each other up…’ (NIV) and Elizabeth does that really well. And the wonderful thing about this friendship between Mary and Elizabeth is that it’s not wholly lop-sided. The greeting is surely a moment of Elizabeth building up Mary and encouraging her, but Mary is also a faithful friend.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, presumably staying with her throughout the later stages of her pregnancy and walking with her as she prepared to be a mother. She may have even been there when Elizabeth gave birth and in those early days of motherhood. When we remember that Elizabeth was presumed barren, it is reasonable that she would be really anxious throughout the pregnancy. And, even though it was customary for friends and relatives to gather around pregnant women in this day and age, Mary still chose to do this while dealing with all her own stuff. Mary was a really faithful friend.
And, side point, can you imagine the kinds of conversations they had over those three months?! I found out I was pregnant about two months after one of my friends did. Both of us in our own ways thought biological children were off the cards for us. And there was something so precious about walking that journey together, talking about the various stages of pregnancy. I was helped by someone who was slightly wiser in the journey but there was benefit on both sides as we both discovered ourselves as soon-to-be mothers.
Sometimes God is kind like that. He gives us people to journey with so that we’re not alone when facing big things. And spurred on by the encouragement of her cousin Elizabeth, Mary says something incredible which we have come to know as the Magnificat.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Luke 1:46b-55 (NIV)
And what is wonderful about this is Mary is not speaking alone. I definitely used to assume that the Magnificat was said by Mary in the quiet of her own home after the angel departed. I had missed out this middle bit. Mary shares these amazing words with Elizabeth - what an amazing moment between friends! These two women, Mary and Elizabeth, are the first to share the good news of Jesus’ coming. I think of times where I’ve shared my testimony with friends in my living room or their kitchen. It’s a really special moment when that happens. I had a lovely conversation this week in the cafe with a dear friend who shared with me something really encouraging about a sermon I had preached a while back. It really encouraged me and reminded me of God’s goodness in a week where I had sometimes struggled to see that.
The other amazing thing about the Magnificat is that we must remember that Mary was almost certainly a teenager when she said this. Yet she knew the Scriptures and knew the nature of her God. She knew that God is a deliverer and cares about the oppressed and downtrodden. And, to give my answer to the debate of whether or not Mary knew what was coming, I think she did… maybe not in every respect, but she knew she was carrying the Messiah and she had a better idea of what that meant than most it seems.
But the most important reflection to take from this passage is that God is faithful in himself. We can support and encourage each other in life but God is the ultimate friend and faithful companion.
The final line of our passage this evening has Elizabeth saying: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45, NIV)
Mary believed. And God delivered, even though it ended with her watching her beloved son die on the cross.
John 19 tells us that Mary went to see Jesus be crucified. A tender moment that is rarely talked about tells us a lot about Mary. In verses 26-27, Jesus tells John to look after Mary. Again, while this was a customary thing to do, I wonder if it reveals the continued importance of Mary to Jesus' ministry and life? We at least know that Mary knew enough to follow him to his crucifixion. We can deduce that she was an attentive and loving mother, one that stood by her son at the very worst of times.
And, our final interaction with Mary is when we read that she is in the room with the other disciples at the beginning of Acts. She prays with them as the apostles appoint Matthias. It is clear she is treated with respect, perhaps because she was Jesus' mother but presumably also because she was faithful and believed. She knew that her son had died and rose again.
So, yes, Mary may have had the peaceful and calm demeanour she is often depicted with in paintings, but she's also a powerhouse of a believer. She trusted in God and believed it would be worth it. And it was.
After we read in 1 Thessalonians 5 that we should encourage one another, we read in verse 24: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (NIV)
We can encourage us each other with this truth. God is faithful.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Titus 3:3-8 (NIV)
God is marvellously kind. And so we can be compelled to be kind also, to be faithful to those around us, encouraging them and building them up, mimicking the friendship of Mary and Elizabeth.
As we journey towards the manger, let us not forget that this is not a journey we do alone. Yes, we walk to the manger with a faithful God. But we also walk to the manger with each other.
So let us be faithful to one another this Christmas.
