Sermon preached at St. Alban’s, Spirit Lake, on December 24, 2006
(Year C, Fourth Sunday of Advent, BCP Lectionary)
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann

Texts:   Micah 5:2-4
Psalm 80 or 80:1-7
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-49(50-56)

 We are all very familiar with Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. It’s a marvelous story of two very special women who come together and rejoice over the blessings that have been bestowed upon them. It would be hard pressed to say which one of them is in the leading role. Who do you think is the main player of this passage?

Before you answer that, let’s review the sequence of events prior to this moment.

About five or six months earlier, while pulling Temple duty, Zechariah, a priest, has had an encounter with Gabriel, the archangel, telling him that God has answered his prayer, and he and his wife were going to have a son, who will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and who would be named John. And in so many words, Gabriel tells Zechariah that John will be the forerunner to the Messiah. Now due to his and his wife’s advanced years, Zechariah finds this hard to believe. Consequent to his disbelief in God’s power, he is struck mute, and will remain so until these things have come to pass. So as soon as his tour of duty is ended, Zechariah scurries home and undoubtedly surprises Elizabeth with his rediscovered connubial get-up-and-go.

But Elizabeth is probably not nearly as surprised as when she finds herself with child a short time later. At first she is not quite sure and hides her condition for five months. But when she is positive, she is ecstatic because according to the societal standards of her day, she will now be seen as a woman complete, and no longer under divine disfavor. At this point, scripture doesn’t tell us how much Zechariah has been able to convey to Elizabeth about his angelic encounter, so it would be safe to say that she may or may not be aware of her son’s future profession, but she is content that she will indeed have a child.

The next event occurs in Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy. Unbeknownst to her or Zechariah, Gabriel has delivered another message from God to a young girl named Mary who is betrothed to be married to a man named Joseph. After a disconcerting greeting, Gabriel tells Mary to have no fear because she has previously found favor in God’s sight, and will soon conceive and bear a son to be named Jesus who in so many words will be the Messiah. Mary wonders how this will happen since she is not yet married and still a virgin. Gabriel explains that this child will be conceived by the power of God’s Holy Spirit and therefore will be God’s Son. And to bolster the point that nothing is impossible with God, Gabriel let’s the cat out of the bag and tells Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, is six months pregnant! She who everyone considered to be barren. So do not underestimate the power of God!

Now Mary is undoubtedly troubled about the idea of facing Joseph with this startling news but it does appear that God is in charge, and He does answer prayer, and it does appear that nothing is impossible with Him. So she faithfully and willingly accepts to be his servant according to His word. And as far as we know, she became pregnant right then and there. As soon as Gabriel leaves, Mary heads for the hills to see Elizabeth, in order to share her big surprise.

That brings us to this morning’s Gospel passage. Now when Mary shows up at Elizabeth’s door many things begin to happen all at once. At the sound of Mary’s voice, the baby inside of Elizabeth’s womb begins to jump up and down, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, by which she instantly recognizes that Mary is pregnant with the Messiah.

And immediately Mary sings a song of praise to God because she fully understands that instead of being cursed for her seemingly improper condition, she will be blessed by all future generations. God really is in control and all will be well!

So there we are. Let’s check the cast of characters. We’ve got Zechariah, who is the only person with an inkling of his son’s future but thus far hasn’t had a speaking part for over six months. We’ve got Elizabeth who is six months along and tickled pink to be an expectant mother, and probably isn’t aware of how important her son will be unless Zechariah has spelled it out for her. And we’ve got the young virgin, Mary, who has found favor with God, and has agreed to bear the Son of God out of wedlock even though she knows this will put her in an unseemly position in society and with her betrothed. Plus we have the archangel Gabriel who keeps popping in and out of the scene about fifty percent of the time. Who do you think is the main player in this passage? It can’t be Zechariah. Could it be Gabriel? Maybe it’s Elizabeth. How about Mary? Or perhaps it’s even little jumping John?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the main player is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life. The Holy Spirit is the consistently active force of Almighty God working in this world. Preceding this passage, it was the Holy Spirit that overshadowed Mary; the Spirit of God, the Father by which she conceived the Son who will be named Jesus. And since the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, we can say that during her pregnancy, Mary is completely Spirit-filled. In this moment she is the living tabernacle that houses God on earth.

When Mary enters the house of Zechariah and speaks to Elizabeth, the Spirit overflows from within her and fills Elizabeth, and consequently fills her unborn baby John to where he literally jumps for joy in recognition of his Lord and Savior. At that precise moment, everyone is connected. John, Elizabeth, and Mary are in total communion with God the Father, through God, the Son by the power of God, the Holy Spirit. And with all of this overflowing of the Spirit comes peace and understanding. There is no need for explanation from either Mary or Elizabeth. There is only an overwhelming sense of joy that cannot be constrained as they both erupt into blessings and praises for the mighty works of God.

This joy is so powerful! Perhaps it is this very event that John later recalls when he tells the people whom he baptizes with water that soon one will come who will baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He appears to be prophesying but in reality he is speaking from personal experience. He is still so filled with the Spirit that he wants everyone to share in this same joy that he has experienced his whole life.

And that is why we are gathered here today. Yes, it is the fourth Sunday in Advent. Yes, we are finishing our preparations for the coming of the Lord and for the celebration of his nativity but we are also taking time to share our joy in the Love of God by initiating a body and soul into the Body of Christ through the waters of Baptism. She will be washed clean in order to prepare a place within her heart for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And by renewing our own baptismal vows we are all being baptized together. We do this as a corporate event in the Church because no matter how talented and loving Mom and Dad are, and no matter how diligent and special the godparents are, raising this child in the Body of Christ requires the continued encouragement from all of us, the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit that resides in each of us by virtue of our own baptism will unite with her and each other and in communion we will rejoice in the Spirit, just as Mary and Elizabeth did so many years ago, for the blessings that Almighty God has bestowed upon us. Let us proceed with the presentation of the candidate.

Gloria Patri