Kahu's Manao

Keawala‘i Congregational Church
United Church of Christ (USA)

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Rev. Kealahou C. Alika

“Move Forward”
Luke 1:39-55

Our season of Advent will come to an end soon. The temptation to move forward to Christmas day is overwhelming. It would seem there is very little time left for Christmas trees, Christmas cards, Christmas carols, Christmas concerts, Christmas plays, Christmas shopping, and Christmas parties. The rush is on.

The “impulse to ignore Advent is a strong one.” Many of our churches celebrate this day as Christmas Sunday. Many will make certain this Christmas will be “louder, larger and ever more expensive” even as we live in a weakened economic world. (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 1, Bartlett & Taylor, Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 2009, page 96)

But rather than move forward so quickly I want to suggest that we move at a slower and more deliberate pace. I would suggest that we linger a bit longer in our preparations.

Our reading from The Gospel According to Luke allows us to do that as we ponder the significance of the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary. Both Elizabeth and Mary are six months häpai or pregnant. Mary is häpai with Jesus. Elizabeth is häpai with John who will one day baptize Jesus. It is in some sense a time of waiting and a time of preparation for both Mary and Elizabeth.

Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, her relative. It is Elizabeth who becomes the first human witness to the good news the angel Gabriel brought to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Between them they bear the messenger and message of the good news: God is working salvation for us in Jesus.

Such good news is good news indeed especially for those who “grieve or doubt or question” what may be happening in their own lives. (Ibid., page 92) For those who feel fragmented by the crush of the holiday season, Luke offers to us a wonderful gift: “a small story about a genuine connection between two pregnant women of different generations.” (Ibid., page 94)

We see in the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth God at work in a deeply personal way. The presence of the Holy Spirit is made known when the baby in Elizabeth’s womb responds with a kick upon hearing Mary’s voice when she entered Elizabeth’s home.

The women are no longer isolated. They have become a part of something larger than themselves.

The message of this season of Advent is for us to start out slowly and quietly. For those who may grieve, doubt or question, the good news is this: Like Mary and Elizabeth who were expectant mothers, there is time to listen and wait. By doing so we will begin to sense for ourselves the presence of the Holy Spirit who seeks to remind us that God accepts us as we are and not as we are expected to be.

It is Mary who offers a song of praise for the God who has chosen her to bear the one whose name will be called Jesus. It begins with verse 46. The text closely parallels the song of Hannah that is found in The First Book of Samuel (2:1-10).

“Both songs grow out of the birth of a promised child. Both songs praise God for new ways that fulfill ancient traditions of covenant. Both songs celebrate God’s actions for the poor and vulnerable.” (Seasons of the Spirit, Congregational Life, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Woodlake Publishing, Inc., Kelowna, BC, Canada, 2009, page 52)

“Those who are lowly are lifted up; those who are haughty will be brought low.” (Op. cit.) The good news, sung in Mary’s and Hannah’s songs, is that everything will be turned upside down. We will seen the Samaritan as a good neighbor (Luke 10:25-37); women will become engaged in ministry (Luke 8:1-3); and the prodigal son and the one who remained behind will be embraced by love. (Luke 15:11-32)

So let us not be so quick to move forward. By lingering a bit longer, we will be strengthened, prepared and deepened as we remember and celebrate the birth of the Christ Child once more.

Mahalo Ke Akua! Amen.

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