Elizabeth’s Christmas song.
Introduction
Do you know a lady who is expecting a baby? A baby’s arrival is usually a joyful event.
Luke describes two cousins, Elizabeth and Mary, who meet up in extraordinary circumstances when both are pregnant.
Elizabeth, who is an older woman and married to Zachariah, is six months pregnant, and the child to be born to her is John the Baptist. The Lord had promised her a son even in her old age, and now His promise is being fulfilled.
Mary has received an announcement from the Lord via an angel. Although she is still a virgin and her relationship with the man she is engaged to, Joseph, has not been a sexual one, the Holy Spirit has created Jesus as a baby in her womb by a special act of divine power. The baby to be born to Mary was to be called Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. He would also be great, the Messiah, the key player in the plan of God. he would be the Son of God, and God the Son, ruling as King in an everlasting kingdom.
Do you know this Jesus as your Saviour from sin? Is He the key player in your life? Is He your King?
1. Elizabeth’s wonder.
As Elizabeth greets Mary and calls her "Blessed" (verse 42)it is clear that Elizabeth’s sense of wonder stems from her trust in the Lord. At the same time her unborn baby, John the Baptist, leaped for joy in her womb because of the presence of the unborn Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the womb of Mary.
2. Elizabeth’s praise.
Although elderly and six months pregnant, Elizabeth could sing with a loud voice. She sang of the privilege which was hers that Mary should come to visit her. Mary was blessed because of the unborn child within her. The holy child Jesus, the Son of God, was exalted above everyone and everything.
Elizabeth was thrilled that Mary had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah and that Mary had come to her with the amazing good news that all the promises of God about a Rescuer being sent into the world were about to be fulfilled.
Elizabeth also sang to encourage Mary because Mary had shown such obvious faith when the angel had visited her with the news that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Faith in the Lord is always commended in the Bible. It is those who believe God’s word and who act upon it in their lives who are truly blessed.
A helpful acrostic that teaches what faith means is:
F orsaking
A ll
I
T rust
H im
3. Elizabeth’s faith.
We should notice the clear spiritual awareness which is shown in Elizabeth’s words. She uses an expression about her cousin Mary which shows that she had a definite awareness of God - she calls Mary "the mother of my Lord".
Elizabeth’s personal faith was in the long promised Messiah, Mary’s unborn child. She belived in Jesus as her "Lord", the Son of God.
Is you trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Is your whole life centered on Him? Do you have a sense of wonder, praise and faith that you can sing of at Christmas time?
