How Does a Weary World Rejoice? We Find Joy in Connection, Luke 1:24-45, 12/10/23
How Does a Weary World Rejoice? We Find Joy in Connection
Luke 1:24-45
Rev. Dr. Rhonda Blevins
December 10, 2023
After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me in this time, when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
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After a tiring day, a commuter settles into his seat and closes his eyes. As the train rolls out of the station, the young woman sitting next to him pulls out her cellphone and starts talking in a loud voice. “Hi sweetheart, it’s Sue. I’m on the train . . . Yes, I know it’s the 6:30 and not the 4:30 but I had a long meeting . . . no, honey, it wasn’t with Kevin from the accounting office, it was with the boss.” The young woman’s voice is growing more anxious and defensive. “No, sweetheart, you’re the only one in my life . . . yes, I’m sure, cross my heart.” Fifteen minutes later, her voice has grown even louder. She’s anxious. She’s defensive. The man sitting next to her finally has enough of his seatmate’s drama. He leans over and speaks into the phone, “Sue, hang up the phone and come back to bed.”
It seems like Sue’s relationship with the person on the other end of the line lacks trust, wouldn’t you say?
Trust, or lack thereof, is at epidemic levels these days. It’s hard to know who we can trust anymore:
· In government and politics, we’ve lost trust in our once sacred institutions and those who lead them. We’ve lost trust in our fellow citizens.
· In media, we’ve lost trust because of misinformation, fake news, bias, and now even deepfakes.
· In social media, we’ve lost trust in the algorithms that manipulate what we see, we’ve lost trust in the CEOs to protect the masses from the dangerous spread of misinformation.
· In law enforcement, we’ve lost trust in those sworn to “protect and defend,” and in the system to treat all people impartially.
· In families, young adults are increasingly saying “I don’t” to marriage—their trust in the institution of marriage, eroded.
I could continue. But with all of this, I’m simply pointing out that trust seems to be at an all-time low.
And it’s in this context that Merriam-Webster selected their word of the year for the year 2023. The word is: “authentic.”
As the lines between reality and deception blur, it is no surprise that the concept of “authenticity” has found its way to the forefront of our collective consciousness. Merriam-Webster notes a significant uptick in searches for the term. You want to know what this means? This growing search for “authenticity” reflects a widespread concern about trust.
There were some professors from an engineering school who were invited to go on a trip. After they were all comfortably seated on the plane, they were informed that the plane was built by their students. The professors got up and ran desperately to get off the plane, almost panicking. Only one professor remained calm and seated. When the other professors asked why he was so calm, he said, “I know the capacity of my students. If they built it, I’m sure this thing won’t even start.”
Trust . . . trust is in short supply these days! But maybe that’s nothing new.
Think back to the story of Mary and Elizabeth from the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. Last week we met Zechariah and Elizabeth, blessed to be with child in her old age. Now it’s six months later, and Mary receives news of her own miraculous pregnancy, the news delivered to her by the same angel, Gabriel, who delivered the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Zechariah six months prior. Mary is confused and bewildered, but accepts the angel’s news that, despite her virginal state, she will give birth to one who will be called “The Son of the Most High.”
Think about what this news means for Mary. Certainly it is exciting news—there’s no boredom in this story. But this news from Gabriel raises challenges and questions for young Mary, believed to be only about 14 years old.
· Who will believe her when she tells them this story?
· What will her fiancé think? Her parents? Her friends? Her community?
· How will she tell them?
· Will they laugh at her? Think she’s crazy? Believe her to be a liar?
· Will they reject her?
· And in that culture at that time . . . will they execute her for the crime of adultery?
Now, Luke tells the story this way: the very next thing that happens in the story, immediately following the news from the angel Gabriel to Mary, is that Mary “set out and went with haste” to visit Elizabeth. From what Luke tells us, who is the very first person Mary wants to see after news of her miraculous pregnancy? It’s not her fiancé. It’s not her mother. It’s not her father. It’s Elizabeth . . . her cousin from the hill country . . . Elizabeth.
Why?
It seems to me, at this point in Mary’s story, that Elizabeth is the only person in Mary’s life that she trusts with this exciting, but disturbing news given to her by Gabriel.
If you received exciting but disturbing news—news that would make people whisper about you—news that had potential to land you in prison, even on death row—who would be the first person you would tell?
That’s the kind of trust Mary appears to have in Elizabeth. Mary “went with haste” to see Elizabeth.
As for Elizabeth, she had closed herself off from the world for five months. But for Mary, Elizabeth throws open the door to her home. She throws open her arms to welcome Mary. And upon seeing Mary, Elizabeth feels her baby kick, and exclaims,
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.
Suddenly for Mary, in that moment, there was no shame for Mary about being unmarried and pregnant. Suddenly for Elizabeth, she was no longer alone.
There at the threshold of Elizabeth’s home, two women experience a deep and profound joy of connection.
During this Advent season here at the Chapel, we’re exploring together the question, “How Does a Weary World Rejoice?” You may remember the line about a “weary world” rejoicing from the beautiful Christmas Carol “O Holy Night”:
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Last Sunday we began the series by discovering that perhaps the first step toward finding joy in a weary world is to acknowledge our weariness—to name it. We talked about how admitting that there is a problem is the very first step in the 12-step program. The 12-step program is part of the miracle of Alcoholics Anonymous that has helped so many people who struggle with addiction. A second part of AA that makes it effective for so many is in the connection—connection with other people struggling with the same problem.
Mary and Elizabeth were both dealing with unusual pregnancies—Elizabeth in her old age and Mary in her virginal state. Mary and Elizabeth’s husband shared an encounter with the angel, Gabriel, who gave them news of the miracle. What a joy, for both women, to have someone to walk alongside and share this unusual journey together.
Mary and Elizabeth show us how a weary world rejoices—we find joy in connection.
On Wednesday I sat down with the marketing team—a brilliant team of folks who discuss how to get the word out about Chapel by the Sea—the best kept secret on Clearwater Beach (if you ask me!) They were bouncing around slogan ideas and began discussing one they’d used in the past: “Your Spiritual Oasis.” The team loved this slogan! One comment stood out to me in the discussion—a comment from Ed Droste. Ed is one of those guys that, when Ed speaks, everyone listens. Thinking about our church as a “spiritual oasis,” Ed named how hard it is “out there.” And coming up on an election year, it’s going to get ugly “out there.” “We’re all gonna need a safe haven,” Ed said, “somewhere away from all of that.”
A “spiritual oasis.” A “safe haven.” Where we find joy through connection. That’s what we have here at Chapel. And if you’re new, and you’re looking for a safe haven or a spiritual oasis—if you’re looking for connection with others who don’t get sucked into the ugliness or the vitriol “out there,” then maybe you’ve come to the right place. Oh, we’re not perfect. Far from it. But in the midst of a weary world, we really do find joy through connection. And we’d love for you to find that here with us.
Here's the challenge for this second week of Advent: connect with someone each day. You don’t have to walk miles and miles like Mary did to connect with her cousin Elizabeth. You can connect with someone here, today. You can call up a friend we haven’t spoken with in a while. You can set up a zoom date with your distant family. You can ask that cashier how he’s doing in a way that makes him realize you’re not just making small talk. Open up your heart, like Elizabeth opened her door to Mary. And in so doing, you might unlock a door to finding joy in a weary world.
Today I close with a poem by John O’Donohue entitled, “For Celebration.”
Now is the time to free the heart,
Let all intentions and worries stop,
Free the joy inside the self,
Awaken to the wonder of your life.
Open your eyes and see the friends,
Whose hearts recognize your face as kin,
Those whose kindness watchful and near,
Encouraging you to live everything here.
See the gifts the years have given,
Things your effort could never earn,
The health to enjoy who you want to be
And the mind to mirror mystery.