Advent Devotion: December 11, 2024
The Place of Community
by Alexis Schutz
Scripture – Luke 1:39-45 (NRSVue) 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.”
Reflection
As a child, I spent hours surrounded by women in community, talking, laughing and baring their souls to one another. The joy I witnessed in those spaces is not unlike the joy I imagine Mary and Elizabeth experiencing in their meeting in today’s passage. Two women, navigating the complicated dynamics of a patriarchal society, come together and share in the joy of what God is doing in their lives. They have become central players in God’s narrative, and the children they will give birth to and raise will turn the world upside down. Not only do they get to share in this joy, but they can grow in faith together and lean on one another. Mary has just received the news that she will give birth to the Messiah and the first place she thinks to go to is Elizabeth’s home!
Our story today reminds us of the deep need we all have for community. When we might feel lost or confused or overwhelmed by our lives or the state of the world, we are called to turn towards the place of our communities. Elizabeth affirms for Mary that she is carrying the Messiah. She’s taking part in God’s plan. How often can members of our community see our lives and our purpose more clearly than we can see ourselves? The place of community is not just a place to find support - it’s a place where we create our stories, clarify our calls, weave together our narrative, or make sense of how God is moving in our lives. In the communities I witnessed as a child and the communities I take part in now, I have learned that it is this place of togetherness where I am reinvigorated to continue the work of social change, where I hear God’s call on my life, where I find hope in difficult times and where I experience the movement of the Holy Spirit deep in my bones.
Prayer
Holy God,
You are always calling us to be together and yet so often we try to make it on our own. On this day may we draw nearer together, knowing that it is in this closeness we find You. May we resist the urge to face it alone and instead lean on those who hold us in love. Help us to be with one another in our hoping and waiting. As we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this season, may we find moments to pause, look one another in the eye, and feel the great joy that comes from our togetherness. Remind us that it is in our bonds of love that we are renewed and inspired to go forth into a broken world sharing your light and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Place of Community
by Alexis Schutz
Scripture – Luke 1:39-45 (NRSVue) 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.”
Reflection
As a child, I spent hours surrounded by women in community, talking, laughing and baring their souls to one another. The joy I witnessed in those spaces is not unlike the joy I imagine Mary and Elizabeth experiencing in their meeting in today’s passage. Two women, navigating the complicated dynamics of a patriarchal society, come together and share in the joy of what God is doing in their lives. They have become central players in God’s narrative, and the children they will give birth to and raise will turn the world upside down. Not only do they get to share in this joy, but they can grow in faith together and lean on one another. Mary has just received the news that she will give birth to the Messiah and the first place she thinks to go to is Elizabeth’s home!
Our story today reminds us of the deep need we all have for community. When we might feel lost or confused or overwhelmed by our lives or the state of the world, we are called to turn towards the place of our communities. Elizabeth affirms for Mary that she is carrying the Messiah. She’s taking part in God’s plan. How often can members of our community see our lives and our purpose more clearly than we can see ourselves? The place of community is not just a place to find support - it’s a place where we create our stories, clarify our calls, weave together our narrative, or make sense of how God is moving in our lives. In the communities I witnessed as a child and the communities I take part in now, I have learned that it is this place of togetherness where I am reinvigorated to continue the work of social change, where I hear God’s call on my life, where I find hope in difficult times and where I experience the movement of the Holy Spirit deep in my bones.
Prayer
Holy God,
You are always calling us to be together and yet so often we try to make it on our own. On this day may we draw nearer together, knowing that it is in this closeness we find You. May we resist the urge to face it alone and instead lean on those who hold us in love. Help us to be with one another in our hoping and waiting. As we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this season, may we find moments to pause, look one another in the eye, and feel the great joy that comes from our togetherness. Remind us that it is in our bonds of love that we are renewed and inspired to go forth into a broken world sharing your light and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
