SCRIP-BITS

Luke 1:46-47.         And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

And then it was nine… Yes friends, nine more days to Christmas Day from this cold and somewhat cloudy Tuesday. Hope you are getting all your stuff done, while keeping uppermost in your minds that the amazing incarnate birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for this glorious season, and make it known to all with whom you come into contact. Today, I want to continue with the story of Mary, Jesus’ Mother, after she courageously and faithfully accepted the offer from God to bear His Son, despite knowing the serious consequences such an undertaking would cause in her young life. 

Now, after Mary had agreed to bear Jesus, the Bible tells us: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth. And it came to pass that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

An whence is this to me (why is it) that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon the voice of thy salutation (greeting) sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. and blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ (Luke 1:39-45) 

Ah mih people, our God does move in mysterious and interesting ways. Here, through the Holy Ghost, He allows Elisabeth to understand that Mary would be the mother of the Messiah, the long awaited Saviour of Israel. And I like how He adds the little part of John the Baptist jumping for joy in His mother’s womb when she hears Mary’s voice. 

Oh friends, there’s no better playwright than our God! He knows when to add all the little nuances, subtleties, and variations with different shades of tone, light etc., to grab our attention. And the Lord wrote one of His best works on that day, for after Mary heard Elisabeth’s  moving and godly greeting, she broke out in joyful song, what we know today as the Magnificat, which the scholars tell us is based on the first word of the Latin translation (the Vulgate.) 

The Bible continues: ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all nations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degrees (the lowly). He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.’ (Luke 1:46-55) 

Wow mih bredrin! Mary must really have known her scripture for she has interwoven stuff from all different places in the Old Testament. And her soliloquy sounds like that of Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother when she thanked the Lord for breaking her barrenness and giving her a son, (1 Sam. 2:1-11) whom, as she had promised (1 Sam. 1:11) she gave back to Him to do His work with Eli, the priest. (1 Sam. 1:24-28) 

And if you don’t think that Mary possessed great faith as a young girl, then compare her scenario to this one with Zacharias, the priest, who eventually became John the Baptist’s father. The Bible tells the story thus: ‘There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia (one of the divisions of Jewish priests): and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken (advanced) in years. 

And it came to pass that while he (Zacharias) executed the priests office (did his priestly duties) before God in the order of his course (division), According to the custom of priest’s office, his lot (he was chosen by lot) to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without (outside) at the time of the incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (Luke 1:5-17) 

Oh friends, right there we see the difference between Mary and Zacharias; she was troubled by Gabriel’s greeting, but apparently not afraid, while Zacharias was both troubled and afraid. And we’ll see what happens to Zacharias because of his fear tomorrow, when we continue with the story, obviously if God spares life. (smile) Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…fear is the devil’s handiwork…while faith is God’s…

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