We continue thinking about "bit players" in the Christmas story, this week turning to Elizabeth, Mary's cousin.
Young Mary, pregnant in a surprising way, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also surprisingly pregnant, for words of comfort.
Young Mary, pregnant in a surprising way, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also surprisingly pregnant, for words of comfort.
Elizabeth's story reminds us that Christmas is not just for children. Christmas is for the broken-hearted, the disbelieving who are seduced into believing by the God who does the unexpected.
Elizabeth is having a challenging time: she is pregnant late in life; her husband has been struck mute for the duration of her pregnancy (ok, maybe that's a blessing not a challenge); the God thing probably seems a bit overwhelming.
What importance is there in the text telling us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit?
Elizabeth asks the question that leads to Mary's singing (?) of what we know as the Magnificat, which describes what God is doing in the coming of Christ.
Notice that Mary arrives in haste, but then settles in for a three-month stay.
Rick Morley, an Episcopalian priest and blogger (http://www.rickmorley.com/archives/2154) writes the following about Elizabeth: When she [Mary] enters Elizabeth’s house she doesn’t find judgment or doom-and-gloom. She is met with joy. " Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" What it must have meant for Mary to have heard those words. Like cool water on a hot day. Like a soft stool after being on your feet for hours. After feeling shame—after feeling like a disappointment to all who were around her…she was declared to be a blessing. As was the child in her. There’s a lot going on here, but what strikes me is that we need more Elizabeths in the world. We need more people willing to move past judgement and shaming, and offer God’s blessing. We need people who look upon the world and see God’s redeeming hand at work, not just see the worst in other people and ourselves. And we need to feel that call to bless deep within ourselves, like a child leaping within us. For, if there were more Elizabeths in the world doing that holy work, there just might be more people breaking out into holy song like little Mary.
Midge was sold "pregnant" with Nikki, who was a tiny baby inside Midge's magnetic removable womb. This led to some controversy with some consumers saying that the doll was inappropriate for children, or that it promoted teen pregnancy. Another cause for this controversy was that Midge did not initially have a wedding ring, but this was later fixed. She also was packaged without Alan. Customers complaining about the doll led to Wal-Mart pulling the Happy Family line off their shelves.[7] A new version of this Midge was produced for Wal-Mart, this time not pregnant and with a cardboard cut-out display of Alan and Ryan standing next to her inside the box.[8] The Happy Family Line included everything from a talking house, a backyard swimming pool, neighborhood market, and playground. See the following article to read more about this: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2002-12-24-pregnant-doll_x.htm
I found a web-site that sells fake wedding rings for pregnant women to wear, in part to keep from getting judgmental looks or unwelcome questions if they are not wearing their wedding rings when pregnant (http://blog.emitations.com/fake-wedding-rings-for-pregnancy/).
This leads to the question: Does Mary go to Elizabeth's to avoid the questions and looks from neighbors?
The prophet Isaiah speaks a word of comfort.
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