A reflection on the fourth Sunday in Advent

The child Mary delivers comes to deliver us

by Sarah Shannon-Wildt, Young Adult Volunteer alum | Special to Presbyterian News Service

Luke 1:39-55

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child 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 by the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 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. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

LOUISVILLE — “Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?

“Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?

“Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.”*

I love Christmas music. It feeds my soul. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I’m a big believer in it being a whole season, lasting from Nov. 1 through Epiphany.

“Mary Did You Know?” is one of my favorites. I especially love the lyric, “Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.”

The lectionary reading for today is about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth when Elizabeth’s baby leaps in her womb at Mary’s greeting. “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.'”

This time of year is all about Christ’s Incarnation — Emmanuel, God with us. The child that Mary delivers comes to deliver us. Elizabeth’s baby leaps for joy at Mary’s presence because Christ is within her.

Creation, like childbearing, is messy and complicated and beautiful. In my own vocational call around sexuality education in the Church, I’m reminded that we are created to be wholly and completely ourselves. It is about leaping for joy in the good moments and holding one another in the bad. Emmanuel — God is with us, stays with us through it all. That is the good news of the incarnation; that we are never alone. God loved us so much that God came to earth to live as one of us — the messy, complicated, beautiful creatures that we are.

* lyrics written by Mark Lowry