Quiet Games, Road Trips, & REJOICING

When our kids were small, we had a way to quiet down any crazy drives or arguments.  It was the idea of my husband to just shout out: “1,2,3, BE QUIET!”  If you talk, you are out.  My daughter, probably five or six at the time, was already super competitive and would play this game for hours if we would have let her, but usually a 20-minute ride was the maximum time slot of this peace keeping strategic game.  When she finally got the chance to speak, she would belt out as many things that had been running through her mind as possible.  Similarly, how do we keep secrets or important information locked up? When we finally have our chance to entrust the information to someone, we burst with excitement and relief.  Wanting to hear their input and shared enthusiasm. 

This is how I imagine Mary to have been on her way to see Elizabeth.  Allow me some poetic license and join my imagination for a few moments:

-Breathless, Mary’s face was still facing the floor.  Heart racing as the words, “May it be done unto to me according to your word” were still hanging, warm on her lips.  Looking up, she is saddened yet relieved at his absence.  The angel was gone, but the presence of God and His majesty was still heavy in the room and the peaceful abundance of joy was empowering.  She glanced across the room, saw her woven bag set aside for packing things necessary for her bridegroom’s surprise retrieval and ran to grab just a few belongings.  As she frantically packed, for a moment she thought about Joseph.  Her heart stopping for just a second and then peace, peace that passed all her understanding of how he would understand.  She didn’t deter from the God sent detour she was now on.  The truth of the words spoken to her by the angel were playing repeatedly in her ears.  Now she must get to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth, who was barren, is expecting!

She runs towards the door of her meager home, sees her mother just outside preparing food for the late day meal, she runs towards her, hugs her, and says she must go to Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth? Now? Why?”  are all the words her mother could pull together in the face of such sudden circumstances.

Mary eked out the words, “She is six months with child!”  I must go now.

Her mother, common sense shattered by not only the sudden joyful news of Elizabeth, but how Mary had known this news.  The only thing she had seen Mary doing was entering the house to finish some work inside the home.  The glow that accompanied Mary’s words made her mother wonder.  She knew that barren women didn’t just become pregnant without some supernatural help.  She knew the prophetic stories of Hannah and Samuel.  She knew the national treasure of Abraham and Sarah and their miraculous boy Isaac.  Yet, as she was formulating more questions all she could get out as Mary was running away from her and towards the road was, “What will I tell Joseph when he comes?”

Mary, speaking with sustained excitement and no thought of recourse, just shouted back to her, “An angel!  A baby!”  At that moment Mary was too far to catch and her mother’s direct attention to this unexpected story was sliced open with mundane reality as her youngest child ran chasing a prized goat across the courtyard.  

“Hurry, catch him!”  she cheered the boy on, only to look up and see Mary vanish on the horizon.  She shook her head wondering at Mary’s answer on what to tell Joseph. “An angel? A baby?”  But why would an angel come to tell Mary about Elizabeth.  She shook her head again in confused wonder, then put down her things and ran to her sister in the next house to tell her that Elizabeth is heard to be expecting….

Four days into what started as an exciting premise: Going to tell Elizabeth that she knew and somehow crafting the miraculous words the angel had given her about her own news had captured most of Mary’s thoughts.  Her feet were brown with dirt and clay from her journey.  Her sandals felt tighter on her feet that they had just days before.   She began to wonder in her mind as she replayed the stories, she had been told from the crib about the people of God, the Exodus, the cloud by day and pillar by night.  The sandals on her feet….” Sandals!”  She exclaimed to herself.  Not realizing a young child was walking alongside her, looking up at her, admiring her smile.  “You CAN talk!”  The child exclaimed. Mary laughing, realized she had been almost mute the entire trip with this caravan to the hill country.  Her thoughts consuming her imagination.  The words of the angel.  The songs of praise welling up in her each time she thought, “Why me?”  

“What’s wrong with your sandals?”  the child asked.  Mary smiled and said, “Oh nothing, that is why I said something.  It reminded me of the Israelites as they walked through the wilderness.  God provided every need they had.  He even made their sandals last for years on their journey.  Isn’t that amazing?!?”

The joy was bringing a shaking of tears to her voice.  The child, with his questioning eyes, raised a brow and said, “I don’t like sandals, but mother makes me wear them.”  Raising his eyebrow yet again in skepticism, squinting at the sun, he stared at Mary’s face, almost disappointed at her response.  He had sensed something more exciting beaming from her soul.  He was almost confused by his own interest in her and bored by her choice of historical references.  “I like the Red Sea parting best”.  Then ran off behind her to rejoin the children playing as they walked along.

Mary’s eyes began to well with tears as she whispered, “My God has always provided…”

Her one-person worship service was interrupted as her tear fogged eyes were thrilled to see the village ahead of her.  The town of Zacharias and Elizabeth was just steps away.  All her rehearsed words suddenly left her.  What she would say and do was a reality she must deal with.  Just steps away.

Mary, recognizing the house of her relatives, memories from her childhood comforted her.  The family had come here on many occasions and the faithful servants, Zacharia and Elizabeth had always been held in high regard.  The ability to call them friends and relatives was an honor Mary was humbled to possess.  As she approached the door of the home, her heart began to pound with nerves, excitement and wonder.  She was shaking so heavily she could almost feel her outer robe shivering as if it had its own pulse.  Walking in, she was dismayed.  No Elizabeth in sight. Her rehearsed hug and congratulations were already vanishing from her mind.  Jolting thoughts of, “I am actually here.  Four days and now I am standing in their home.  This is so…what if they think I am rude for an unannounced visit…. how can I explain…”  The thoughts started to overwhelm her and all she could do was cry out for her dear friend and relative.

“Elizabeth!”

From around a corner she hears a shout, a cry, a shout that only rivals what Mary had imagined the shouts of the Hebrews around the walls of Jericho would have sounded like.

“Elizabeth?”  this time she was concerned for the health of her friend.

Elizabeth came almost leaping from the other room, cradling her swelling stomach with one arm and hand and with the other engulfing Mary with all the strength she could feel in her body.

Her grip on Mary was life clinging.  Through tears and shaking voice, still embracing Mary she raises her voice and begins to give soul affirming words into Mary’s ears.

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me”

At this point both women’s embraces fell away, Elizabeth looked into those childlike eyes of Mary’s and as tears streamed down both of their faces, she took Mary’s hand and placed it on her own baby filled stomach.

“For behold when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:42)

Mary, breathless from the startled greeting and prophetic filled words.  She knew that the Holy Spirit had told this to Elizabeth.  She also knew that she didn’t have to explain herself, her story.  Her God, Her Savior had provided.  Again. Grace upon Grace!  The words that flowed next were words that had been singing a symphony in Mary’s heart since the Angel vanished from her presence.  Now she could rejoice with someone else! Now she could share the Good News!  The relief and excitement of this very moment so filled Mary she felt as if her body was going to float off the ground and even her fingernails were going to shout with excitement.  The worship  that had so consumed her could be released.  The joy was combustible.

“And Mary said,

My Soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond slave; For behold from this time on all generations will count me blessed.  For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

‘AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.’

He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble.  HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; and sent away the rich empty handed.  He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”  (Luke 1: 46-56)

Quiet game over.

The women wept with joy, embracing and laughing.  Heaven had come down and glory was filling their souls. 

-Walking into Christmas, look down at your own dirty feet.  Feet covered with life, sin, circumstances.  Jesus has been known to wash dirty feet!  Just ask Him!

Walk into this Christmas reflecting on what God has done throughout world history, throughout your personal history.  A song of praise will well up within your soul. Don’t’ play the quiet game when it comes to what God has done in your life.  Grab a loved one, rejoice with them, at what the Lord has done.

Heaven has come down.  Let His Glory fill your soul this Christmas.

-Melissa Pyle

12/22/18