12-19-19 - Blessed Is She

(You can listen to this reflection here.)

It can be exhausting "doing ministry” at this time of year. Getting Christmas together for a community, not to mention myself. Writing sermons and press releases, posting events and hosting services, visiting the sick; the list is endless.

And all God really wants from me and you is that we believe. That we believe God’s promises. That we believe God’s power. That we trust God’s presence and goodness and gifts.

One of the most powerful elements of the story of Mary and Elizabeth’s encounter that we are exploring this week is Elizabeth’s simple statement about what makes Mary blessed: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Simply taking God at God’s word is all we really need to do. That’s what garnered Abraham righteousness in God’s sight, according to St. Paul; not what he did or said, but his believing God’s crazy promise about a son. Mary received a pretty crazy promise about a son too – even more outrageous than Abraham’s. But she said “Yes,” and she took action on what that promise was. Her coming to see Elizabeth was one of the ways she put believing into action.

What promises has God made to us? There are general promises we can find in Scripture – like the promise of peace in the midst of anxiety (Philippians 4), the promise of Christ’s presence always (Matthew 28), the promise of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11). Peace, presence, power – not a bad start.

And sometimes we discern specific promises. Perhaps you’ve sensed God inviting you into a specific ministry and blessing, with some clarity about what will unfold. If the Bible is any indication, these sorts of callings can often seem far-fetched. It might be easy to dismiss them, or try to ignore them, especially in an age when we are not surrounded by people of faith who can help us confirm them spiritually.

Are there any crazy God promises you feel called to believe? If they’re really unusual, check your discernment with other people of faith, and keep praying. If you get a yes, take the first step.

Sometimes God might work through us in a way that we didn’t expect or were scarcely aware of, but in general we need to believe that God will do what God has promised in order to be an effective channel; It’s tricky like that. Acting in faith in such a way that our lives and priorities actually begin to be transformed is a matter of believing that what the Lord has spoken, the Lord will bring into being.

And sometimes we are the means through which God brings his promises to fulfillment. 

Blessed are we.

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