Observation: Today is the commemoration of Mary's visit to Elizabeth. When Mary finds out she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and be the mother of the Son of God, the first thing she does is go to Judea--a long journey from rural Galilee--to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who has also become pregnant under miraculous circumstances. Elizabeth is "filled with the Holy Spirit" the moment she hears Mary's greeting. Her unborn baby jumps. Elizabeth exclaims, "Blessed are you among women!" And Mary sings a song of God's liberation, humbling the mighty and lifting up the lowly.
Okay, I admit, my interpretation of this story is maybe a little peculiar, but I think there's some evidence to back it up, and I think it's relevant to our lives today, so here goes.
Traditionally, we assume that when the angel Gabriel comes to visit Mary and says "you will conceive and bear a son", and "The Holy Spirit will come upon you," that she conceives immediately after that, alone in her home in Nazareth. The Holy Spirit comes to her while she's by herself, right when she says, "Let it be with me according to your word." But the text of Luke 1 does not say that. In fact, Luke does not narrate the precise moment when Mary conceives. Instead, Luke fast forwards to the visitation, when Mary and Elizabeth are together, and sure enough, here's the first appearance of...drumroll please...the Holy Spirit. Do you see where I'm going with this? All in one moment, baby John jumps, Elizabeth shouts, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb," and Mary begins to sing a song of praise and freedom. Is it possible that the Holy Spirit waits until Mary is in a safe place, with a family member she trusts, and that Jesus is actually conceived, not in Nazareth, but in Judea? I believe that is a possible interpretation.
Application: Maybe you find my theory odd, but I honestly do think it matters for our daily faith, and here's why. As far as I know, there is no point in the Bible where the Holy Spirit comes upon someone when they are one hundred percent alone. Invariably, a visitation from the Holy Spirit comes upon a community--at least a couple of people together. That's how God tends to work. Not just on isolated individuals, but on groups. Could the Holy Spirit have made an exception in Mary's case? Sure. God can do whatever God wants. And strictly speaking, once Mary conceives, she's not alone anyway. But even if so, it seems this profound moment would be the exception to prove the rule. If we need the Spirit, if we are calling upon the Spirit, if we expect the Spirit, we should expect it together. Certainly the early church thought so. That's why they followed Jesus' command to stick together in Jerusalem after he ascended. That's why it's important for Christians to stick together now.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, come to us. Not to me, but to US, as we pray, worship and serve your world together. Amen.
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