“At that time Mary got ready and hurried…” –Luke 1:39
Now that’s a line in the Biblical Christmas account we can relate to! Get ready. Hurry. There was even an element of “hurry up and wait.”
Mary was off to visit 6-months pregnant (once barren) Elizabeth. Mary remained there with her 3 months, presumably waiting until the time of John the Baptist’s birth. She hit the road as many of us do: to see family, to confirm God’s Word, and to celebrate.
But there’s a place where most of our “hurry” differs.
She got there, stayed, and praised: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” –Luke 1:46-47
In Mary and Elizabeth’s time of anticipation, they both were looking in awe and wonder at God. They, and the nation with them, had been waiting for the Savior to come. God’s timing came as a (remarkable!) surprise and delight.
As we approach the celebration of our Savior being born, we tend to live more like:
We’re so easily overbooked at Christmastime that our hurrying is onto distractions, not celebration.
Rather than magnifying the Lord, we’re zooming in on nostalgia and tradition. We trade rejoicing in God for relief that something else is checked off the to-do list.
Susie Larson, in Your Sacred Yes, warns:
“When we consistently move too fast, we become crisis managers, living more in reaction to the next thing than in response to our king.”
Crisis and contentment don’t mix as well as cocoa and peppermint. Share on X Panic and praise don’t match as well as red and green. Share on XAs Susie’s quote highlights, there’s a difference between reaction and response.
Mary’s hurry to Elizabeth was a response to the angel’s proclamation. She burst into praise in response to the contented joy in her heart, recognizing that the angel’s words were true: “no word from God will ever fail.”
We know His Word never fails. We know that “when the right time came,” God sent His Son, born through Mary, to save us. That’s what we anticipate in the weeks leading up to Christmas- God’s timing, God’s provision, God’s glory.
As we hurry to the next celebration, get ready for the next event, rush through our long list of tasks, and bustle our bunch to anticipate and participate with us….
We can magnify and rejoice in the Lord, contentedly responding to our King as we hurry to behold His birth and wait in wonder for His return.
This celebration season, I’m seeking contentment in Christ. Will you join me for the rest of this 5 part series?
Part 1: It’s The (Maybe) Wonderful Time of the Year
Part 2: O Little Town of Mayhem
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