Luke 1 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.”

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Questions for Reflection:

Why do you suppose Mary moved quickly to go see Elizabeth? Why was this an important detail for Luke to include?

How hard is it to be a “servant” of the Lord when He asks you to do some really hard things?

How does the kindness of His provision counter the hardness of the calling?

What did Mary as a servant of the Lord who followed a hard road for her master get in the end that she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t said “yes”?

Prayer of the Week:

Daily Opening Prayer

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I rejoice in the fact I get to spend these moments in Your presence. It is so good to be with you Jesus, so good. You are so very kind to me. Please, restore me in You and renew me in you that I might experience all of You that is possible. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit, saturate me in Your Love, saturate me in your Life and saturate me in Your JOY this day. Untangle me from my anxious thoughts, immerse me now in Your story – the story that includes me. I long to live expectantly this Christmas week. Help me see and seize your many kindnesses to me today especially your gracious kindness you will reveal in Your word to me today. (“You are welcome to take two minutes for reflective silence. You may do that by pausing this recording and hit play when you are ready to continue”.)

Daily Closing Prayer

Jesus, help me live every moment of this week in open expectancy. I do want to see and seize all you have for me. You are so kind. Help me rest in Your promises in Your word today. You are a so good. There is a really good chance my controlling expectations of people and events will take over at times. Help me Jesus in those moments to see the slippery slope I am sliding down so I can immediately turn to You, Your word and Your kindness to me. Jesus, in moments of disappointment I might succumb to the temptation to “give up” on Joy. Guard my heart and help me return to a place of anticipation and expectancy that Your love and kindness to me is real … help me wait for You. Today I long for You and celebrate You and Your coming to be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. You have shown me so much favor in your love for me in Jesus. Thank you Thank you Thank you. I Rejoice in God My Savior! I Rejoice in You Father! I Rejoice in You Jesus! I Rejoice in You Holy Spirit! Amen