Luke 1:39-55
Luke gives us one of the most wonderful stories of Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus and John's mothers, and this meeting between them today. This all started though at the beginning of Luke and it is a wonderful story because it keeps doing the unexpected. First we have this little known couple Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah is a priest and he is working in the temple. A visiting angel tells him Elizabeth will have a son and he doesn't believe it, so his voice is taken from him. Now the priest must rely on his wife to be his voice.
Then we have Mary, just before this passage the angel tells her about what is going to happen to her. She accepts this, let it be with me according to God's will. She surrenders in the face of intense persecution, because she is unwed, even in the face of losing her life. She then goes to the one person who might understand miracles, Elizabeth. When she gets there Elizabeth knows, knows exactly who Mary is expecting. Then comes the song of Mary, which turns the world on its head. Nothing will be as expected with the one who is to come. All earthly measurements are wrong. It is those who have always had enough who will not understand. This text foreshadows what Jesus' ministry is in this gospel. It is what ours should be also.
Letting go is one of the hardest things we have to learn to do in life. We let go of loved ones at the end, and sometimes we don't. We let go of our children when they mature, and sometimes we don't. It is healthy to let go of things. It is a spiritual practice to learn to let go. There have been times when it has been hard for me to let go, like when I first applied for postulancy and was told not yet, come back another year. It was hard to let go, to trust in the vision of others and to follow the recommendations laid out for me. The greatest gift was in my priest telling me how it would help me to grow as an individual and it was true.
When we pray our Lord's prayer every Sunday we pray for God's will to be done, yet we haven't learned what this means. In a little series called The Mitford series by Jan Karon we meet a priest called Fr. Tim, he always is praying the prayer that never fails, they will be done. It took me a long time to understand this meaning and yes, the series doesn't portray Fr. Tim being able to let go of anything. It does mean and show that there are some things which are beyond our control. Favorite characters die, grow, change beyond our recognition and beyond Fr. Tim's machinations.
So how do we learn to pray this prayer and mean it? Well, its a lifelong endeavor. Its hard because we must learn to look at ourselves. We need to realize the things which are in our control and the things which are not. It is what the serenity prayer means. We can only have peace of mind when we let go of the things which are beyond us. Mary lets go in an instant, but then wisely goes to the one person who will support and know what this heavenly thing is all about, Elizabeth. So we too need support and guidance. We need to find people who will be honest with us when we are trying too hard to manipulate our own way and not following God's way.
We also need to listen. When we get that criticism we need to open ourselves to the truth of those words. We need to find in ourselves if we recognize the truth of it or we just fighting for our own way. Listening is a skill we need to hone and take seriously, without being prepared or distracted for our own answer first. Listen and ask God what is true. Listen and be still. It's one of the things I've seen online this week. The original Hebrew of be still is actually let go and know that I am God. This means something totally different, but it goes hand in hand. When you are drowning the worst thing you can do is panic and struggle harder. You learn to be still, become one with the water, put your head into the water, kick and then lift and breath, this is called the dead mans float. It is how to save yourself if you tire out in the water, becoming stiller instead of fighting.
The last thing is to pray and mean it. They will be done, don't try and manipulate the situation. Let it be with me according to your will, not mine. It is the hardest lesson and practice to learn, but it is the one which will bring us peace. It turns all of our expectations on their head because we like to be in control. Yet saying something bigger than ourselves is, is one of the most valuable lessons Jesus teaches us. As Philippians says, to surrender himself, even unto death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). God's will not ours.
Luke gives us one of the most wonderful stories of Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus and John's mothers, and this meeting between them today. This all started though at the beginning of Luke and it is a wonderful story because it keeps doing the unexpected. First we have this little known couple Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah is a priest and he is working in the temple. A visiting angel tells him Elizabeth will have a son and he doesn't believe it, so his voice is taken from him. Now the priest must rely on his wife to be his voice.
Then we have Mary, just before this passage the angel tells her about what is going to happen to her. She accepts this, let it be with me according to God's will. She surrenders in the face of intense persecution, because she is unwed, even in the face of losing her life. She then goes to the one person who might understand miracles, Elizabeth. When she gets there Elizabeth knows, knows exactly who Mary is expecting. Then comes the song of Mary, which turns the world on its head. Nothing will be as expected with the one who is to come. All earthly measurements are wrong. It is those who have always had enough who will not understand. This text foreshadows what Jesus' ministry is in this gospel. It is what ours should be also.
Letting go is one of the hardest things we have to learn to do in life. We let go of loved ones at the end, and sometimes we don't. We let go of our children when they mature, and sometimes we don't. It is healthy to let go of things. It is a spiritual practice to learn to let go. There have been times when it has been hard for me to let go, like when I first applied for postulancy and was told not yet, come back another year. It was hard to let go, to trust in the vision of others and to follow the recommendations laid out for me. The greatest gift was in my priest telling me how it would help me to grow as an individual and it was true.
When we pray our Lord's prayer every Sunday we pray for God's will to be done, yet we haven't learned what this means. In a little series called The Mitford series by Jan Karon we meet a priest called Fr. Tim, he always is praying the prayer that never fails, they will be done. It took me a long time to understand this meaning and yes, the series doesn't portray Fr. Tim being able to let go of anything. It does mean and show that there are some things which are beyond our control. Favorite characters die, grow, change beyond our recognition and beyond Fr. Tim's machinations.
So how do we learn to pray this prayer and mean it? Well, its a lifelong endeavor. Its hard because we must learn to look at ourselves. We need to realize the things which are in our control and the things which are not. It is what the serenity prayer means. We can only have peace of mind when we let go of the things which are beyond us. Mary lets go in an instant, but then wisely goes to the one person who will support and know what this heavenly thing is all about, Elizabeth. So we too need support and guidance. We need to find people who will be honest with us when we are trying too hard to manipulate our own way and not following God's way.
We also need to listen. When we get that criticism we need to open ourselves to the truth of those words. We need to find in ourselves if we recognize the truth of it or we just fighting for our own way. Listening is a skill we need to hone and take seriously, without being prepared or distracted for our own answer first. Listen and ask God what is true. Listen and be still. It's one of the things I've seen online this week. The original Hebrew of be still is actually let go and know that I am God. This means something totally different, but it goes hand in hand. When you are drowning the worst thing you can do is panic and struggle harder. You learn to be still, become one with the water, put your head into the water, kick and then lift and breath, this is called the dead mans float. It is how to save yourself if you tire out in the water, becoming stiller instead of fighting.
The last thing is to pray and mean it. They will be done, don't try and manipulate the situation. Let it be with me according to your will, not mine. It is the hardest lesson and practice to learn, but it is the one which will bring us peace. It turns all of our expectations on their head because we like to be in control. Yet saying something bigger than ourselves is, is one of the most valuable lessons Jesus teaches us. As Philippians says, to surrender himself, even unto death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). God's will not ours.
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