Mary & Elizabeth – A Visit Filled with JOY
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The Blessed Visit – Do you need more JOY in your life? Who doesn’t? Advent is the perfect time to receive more JOY and share it with others! Mary and Elizabeth will show us how.Join us today as we travel with Mary 90 miles to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. We will drop in on a special meeting of hearts, to partake in the delight, the prayer, and the JOY of Fellowship.
The Advent JOY Podcast
Welcome to Advent JOY Podcast #3, based on my book The Joy of Advent: Journey with the People, Events and Prayers at the First Coming of Jesus Christ. Last week we looked in on the Great Annunciation and heard how God supernaturally beget the Son of God in the Virgin Mary and gave an old woman Elizabeth, past her time of conceiving, a child. We discovered any barrenness in life can become a breakthrough! “For nothing is impossible with God!”
Advent JOY in the Hill Country
Today, we travel with Mary down the 90-mile road from Nazareth back to the Hill Country of Judea, near Jerusalem. We will drop in on the visit that Mary makes to her old cousin Elizabeth. Both women are with child, both are rejoicing over the births to come, and both are thrilled to see each other. Join the podcast today as we cover these exciting points:
The Blessed Visit – Leaping for JOY (Luke 1: 39-45)
- John the Baptist leaps for Joy
- Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaims words of JOY.
- Mary praises and skips with JOY.
- Jesus is always joy filled—even in the womb!
The JOY of Fellowship – God Knows Our Need (Luke 1: 31-33)
- Fellowship in the Scriptures is translated from New Testament Greek Koinonia, occurring 20 times in the New Testament.
- Elizabeth brought out Mary’s JOY and Mary brought out Elizabeth’s JOY. True fellowship strengthens and encourages faith.
- Elizabeth praises Mary for believing Gabriel.
- The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb to Elizabeth.
The Magnificat – Mary’s Song of Praise (Luke 1: 46-56)
- Magnificat was the first word in Luke 1: 46 found in St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible (4th century common language of the people) and it means “my soul magnifies.”
- The Magnificat is a canticle – a liturgical song from a Biblical text.
- The Magnificat shows Mary’s love for Scripture. She knew the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) well.
- The Magnificat reflects themes from many Old Testament Scriptures – the powerful arm of God, His mercy to all, His justice and faithfulness, and His care for the poor and afflicted (e.g., 1 Samuel 2:1-10 and Psalm 34:2, 35: 9, 103: 17, 107: 9, 132: 11, 138: 6).
Three Months of Sharing Hearts
- We can only imagine the comfort Mary and Elizabeth must have been to each other. They talked of the Scriptures to be fulfilled because they knew well the promises regarding the Messiah and the one who would precede Him. They shared the stories about Gabriel as each had been changed by his message. They would have known of Gabriel’s former visitations and announcements recorded in Daniel 9.
Advent Application
- We can respond to these verses of JOY shared between Mary and Elizabeth by 1) Asking God for Advent JOY (He wants to give us His JOY), 2) Rejoicing in God’s goodness, 3) Preserving a quiet time for prayer, and 4) Sharing JOY with others, especially during Advent. God has JOY for YOU.
You can download a Bookmark of prayer points from the Advent JOY Podcast #1 at my website: WRAPYourselfinJOY.com.
Click here to find the book: The Joy of Advent: Journey with the People, Events and Prayers at the First Coming of Jesus Christ.
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