12/10/2024 0 Comments LeapedLuke 1:39-45
Third Sunday of Advent https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201%3A39-45&version=NRSVUE What does “leaped for joy” look like? At this time of year, we may recall The Twelve Days of Christmas where ten lords are leaping. Why are lords leaping, and does it look like a dancer leaping through the air? That’s often what I think about when I hear the word “leaping” – a ballerina leaping with pointed toes and outstretched arms. Many of us aren’t lords or ballerinas who can leap like that. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb could not leap like that. So, how did John the Baptist (Elizabeth’s baby) leap in her womb? Movement. The baby moved at the sound of Mary’s greeting. What was Mary’s greeting? What did she say? Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically what she said, but traditional Jewish greetings were “shalom.” Shalom was a greeting of peace, but it was more like a blessing that meant “May God cause all to be well with you.”[1] It was as if this blessing for wholeness and wellness came straight from the baby in Mary’s womb through Mary’s words. Words from Jesus caused a movement of joy. Leaping is an expression of joy. This blessing also caused Elizabeth to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As a response to a greeting of shalom, the child leaped AND Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (v.41). Elizabeth’s words give us a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, and the baby’s movement gives us a deeper understanding of what Jesus can do in our lives. Words from Jesus fill us with his holy spirit, and we are moved with joy but also have a revelation of the divine within us. The words spoken and the nearness of presence both cause one to leap for joy AND understand the cause of that joy. Elizabeth’s response to this expression of joy moved her to “exclaim with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’” (v.42). She returned the blessing with a blessing. Elizabeth felt blessed to receive a visit from Jesus, so she responded with a blessing for Mary, the vessel who is growing Jesus within. Elizabeth did not physically “leap for joy” as her baby within her did. Her expression of joy was to respond with a blessing to acknowledge the divine near her. This was a baby-to-baby connection that indicates that the Holy Spirit goes deeper within us. The power of Jesus’ words and the filling of the Holy Spirit can be felt on a deeper spiritual level that is expressed with a movement of joy from within. Mary and Elizabeth were probably experiencing a lot of fear and sorrow from the scandal and gossip both of their pregnancies caused them, yet at this moment, when they experienced Jesus near them, they responded in joy and blessing. In this divine experience, they exchanged any hesitation for praise for their Lord and for each other. On this third Sunday of Advent, what sorrow or hesitation can you exchange for the joy Jesus brings? Trust the movement within you. The bubbling up of joy comes from Jesus and the Holy Spirit within you. How will you express this joy? In what ways, can you share this joy with others? Reflection Questions: What does leaping for joy look like to you? Do words from Jesus move you to joy? How do you express it? How do you respond when you receive a blessing from Jesus? What sorrow or hesitation can you exchange for the joy Jesus brings? Pray: Come near us, Lord, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. May we feel your joy leaping within us. Action: In response to a blessing you have received from Jesus, bless someone else with a kind word, a tangible act, or an act of service. *New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. [1] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Zondervan, 2019.
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