Rejoice in God
Good Christmas Movies…
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is watching Christmas movies with the family. When I say Christmas movies, I mean GOOD CHRISTMAS MOVIES.
I’m talking about Christmas classics like The Santa Claus, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, The Grinch, etc.
What I’m not talking about are the Christmas movies my wife & my daughters have grown to love. You know what kind of Christmas movies I’m talking about, right?
Hallmark Christmas movies!
I thought Hallmark made greeting cards. When did they get their own cable network channel?
It seems that these movies have taken over the world over the last few years & for the life of me, I can’t understand why. I mean, I know they have different actors but every single movie goes the same way.
Boy meets girl. Girl isn’t sure if she likes boy. There’s another boy she should like. Then a crisis hits. O no, now we don’t know what’s going to happen… even though we all know EXACTLY what’s going to happen. Because in the end, everyone lives happily ever after & the girl ends up with the right boy.
It’s All Going to Be OK
Maybe that’s why we love Hallmark Christmas movies… because even though there’s a crisis somewhere in the middle we know that we don’t have to worry because in about 90 minutes, this is all going to work out & it’s all going to be ok.
By the way, if you’re still looking for a last minute Christmas idea for your wife, just do what I did. Download this Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo. Wrap it up & give it to her. You’ll be a hero! 🙂
But what do we do when we don’t know how everything is going to work out?
How do we respond when the future is unclear?
What happens when we experience tragedy, or set backs or unexpected surprises in our own lives & the way forward is, to be honest, terrifying?
The Tension in the Moment
I think this is how Mary might have felt in the moment. She wasn’t a part of a Hallmark Movie. There wasn’t going to be a happily ever after to the end of this story. At least not in the normal sense.
Her future was uncertain. The way forward was unclear.
I think because we already know how the story ends, we don’t remember to step into the tension Mary must have felt in the moment. It’s like we’re watching a Christmas movie we’ve seen a hundred times before!
A few days after Mary has a visit from the angel Gabriel, she heads straight away to visit Zachariah & Elizabeth. Gabriel had told Mary that Elizabeth was pregnant.
Mary knew that this would have been next to impossible for Elizabeth & Zachariah, if for no other reason because of their age. Mary’s not sure how, but somehow Zachariah & Elizabeth are a part of what God is doing in this moment.
If anyone will understand what just happened to her, what she just experienced, maybe Zachariah & Elizabeth will.
God is Up to Something
As soon as Mary arrives, Elizabeth feels her baby boy jump in her womb. At this point, Mary is already pregnant as well.
It was only a few days ago that Gabriel appeared to Mary. Jesus has already been conceived in her by the power of the Holy Spirit! The Son of God has already come & entered the womb of Mary. Light has entered into darkness.
Elizabeth feels her baby leap & then she is filled with the Holy Spirit! If Mary needed confirmation that she wasn’t dreaming, she just got it!
And the same is true for Elizabeth. When Mary entered & she felt her baby move & she received the Holy Spirit… something happened that really hadn’t happened for Elizabeth at this point in the story.
Remember, Zachariah had seen the angel. Mary had seen the angel. As far as we know, Elizabeth hadn’t seen an angel! And what’s more, after his experience with the angel, her husband couldn’t speak. All Elizabeth knows is that something happened in the Temple that day that left him speechless, literally!
Now she’s pregnant. She’s putting it together. She’s a woman of faith. Something is happening here. God is up to something.
And now, through the gift of the Holy Spirit Elizabeth speaks these words…
“Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Don’t miss these words or this moment. How could Elizabeth have known this? Only by the power of the Holy Spirit speaking to her & speaking through her in this moment.
My guess? I wouldn’t be surprised if Elizabeth always looked back on this moment & wondered… “How did I know that? Where did that come from?” Only God. It was truly a God moment.
And if this is a God moment, if this is a moment where the Holy Spirit of God is speaking to & speaking through Elizabeth, don’t miss out on those last words she spoke to Mary… “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Mary Believed
Her belief led her to the home of Zachariah & Elizabeth.
She came to celebrate their pregnancy. One that probably no one knew about except Mary at this point. Mary knew because Gabriel told her. She believed so she went to visit! She went to share in the joy of what God was doing among them.
And after hearing Elizabeth’s words, listen to Mary’s response in Luke 1.46-55
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary’s response? Worship!
Her decision? To rejoice!
The Tension is Still Present
Keep in mind, the future was still very uncertain for Mary.
As far as we know, Joseph… the one she is engaged to… still has no idea she is pregnant!
Mary is going to stay with Zachariah & Elizabeth for the next three months! It’s possible that Joseph doesn’t even find out that Mary is pregnant until Mary is well past the first trimester of her pregnancy! When she finally does return to Nazareth & sees Joseph for the first time in over three months, she’s showing!
It’s possible that Mary is in the fourth month of her pregnancy before her parents find out, before Joseph finds out!
And Mary really has no idea how this is going to go.
It’s still possible she’s going to end up divorced, alone, ashamed. For all she knows, after arriving in Nazareth she may be back on her way to live the rest of her life with Zachariah & Elizabeth!
What else would she do if she can’t convince her parents, or Joseph, that this really is from God?!
But in the middle of that uncertainty, in the middle of any fear or anxiety she may have felt, in the middle of the unknown, she BELIEVED God & she REJOICED in God.
[Tweet “In the middle of the unknown, Mary BELIEVED God & she REJOICED in God.”]What do you do when the future is unclear?
How do you believe in God & rejoice in God in the middle of the unknown? In the middle of any fear or anxiety you may be feeling? In the middle of the uncertainty you’re facing?
What do you do when…
Tragedy hits?
There’s an unexpected turn?
Sickness hits?
Injury strikes?
Job loss?
Car wreck?
Divorce?
Too many bills to pay?
Will you…
Believe God?
Trust in God?
Hope in God?
Stay Faithful to God?
Rejoice in God?
Worship in the middle of the crisis?
Rejoice in God
When you believe in God & respond in worship to God you can be confident that the God who is with you will never leave you.
His presence will be enough to carry you through.
Believe in the word of God. Rejoice in the presence of God.
[Tweet “Believe in the word of God. Rejoice in the presence of God.”]This is what we can learn from Mary.
In the middle of the tension, in the middle of the uncertainty, when the future is clear, continue to believe in the word of God. Continue to rejoice in the presence of God.
When you do, you’ll see the Light of the world move through you to those around you as well.
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