Special Mother's Day

It is always a bittersweet time of year for me as we celabrate Mother’s day. It’s been 22 years since my Mom passed away. She was someone who provided a secure home with love dispite the hardships that she experienced her entire life. My grandmother and my mother were abondaned when my mother was about 7 years old, and lived part of the time of the streets of Boston in the mid-nineteen twenties. Forced to quit high school to go to work in the factory, my mom was to have over 20 jobs in her lifetime. My Dad married her on Christmas day, 1946. My mom was in and out of the tuburculousis sanatarium over the next several years. My father wrote here love letters every day and sometimes twice a day during this time. Even after I was born she still had to spend a couple of years at the sanatarioum, while I was taken care of by a loving aunt. My Mom had sole responsibility for 2 boys, aged 11 and 17 when my father passed away. I was never aware even as I became an adult that any of these hardships had an effect on my mother’s attitude or actions. She always seemed truly grateful for her blessings no matter what they were. At the same time I think of the blessing of God in my life through my wife who has cared for and loved my four children through the grace of God’s Holy Spirit working in her life. My oldest age 29 is about to give birth to our first grandchild next month. Well I could go on and on about my Mom and my daughter, but I would at least like to spend some of this week looking at Luke 1:39 -45. It’s interesting that the story we are looking at in Luke revolves around a Mary who is newly expectant and Elizabeth who is about as far along as my daughter.

Luke 1:39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Our story picks up after Mary had received word from the Angel Gabriel that she would have a son and name Him Jesus and that he would be the Son of God. At the same time the angel informed her of Elizabeth also expecting a son who would become John the Baptist. If you received this incredible news you would be anxious to share it especially with someone who would understand and believe you. So Mary doesn’t just casually go and visit Elizabeth, she went “with haste”.

So what happens after Mary enters the home and greets Elizabeth? It says that the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb. Was the baby turning, did Elizabeth have gas or was the baby kicking. The interpretation is not left to chance or human explanation. Instead we see that Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. That means the words she is about to speak come right from God.

Elizabeth repeats what the angel told Mary “Blessed are you amoung women”. And then she adds “Blessed is the fruit of your womb”. These are things that Elizabeth did not know about. At the same time that the baby leapt in her womb she knew it was joy, and that Mary was expecting a baby that would not become Elizabeth’s Lord, but already was her Lord.
Without prompting by Mary, Elizabeth gives her the words she wants to hear for encouragement “Blessed is she who believed for there will be fulfillment of those things which were told to her”.

I think sometimes we don’t realize that folks in the Bible had the same needs as us. They needed fellowship for encouragement to understand the promises and blessings that God has given to them. Look at this passage and see the special blessing God has granted to both Elizabeth and Mary by allowing them to share together this experience.
Next week we are going to be looking at Mary’s song of praise in response to the words of encouragement from Elizabeth. In the mean time, let me take this opportunity to remind you to love and encourage the Mother’s in your life, by reminding them of the blessings that God has given to them.