Hope for the Coming of the Messiah Luke, 1:39-45
Five more days to Christmas Day. The days counting down to Christmas Day are referred to as days of hope and wonder. Christmas is a time of gifts and presents not only for Christians but also for those who take the opportunity to celebrate it. Are we still hoping and wondering will get a Christmas present? Do we expect to get what we want? Hope is the mother of disappointment. Try to see the funny side of this hope so that we are not too sad and disappointed.
There was a mother wondering what her husband would give her as a Christmas present, she then made an excuse and told her husband, last night I dreamed that I was wearing a diamond necklace. I wonder what it means.
Her husband replied, mi will know tonight. When the husband came home from work at night, he carried a gift wrapper in his hand while giving it to his wife and telling her to open it. The wife was very happy and excited to open the gift. And it turned out to be a book entitled, How to Interpret Dreams.
Some say that to avoid disappointment it is better not to have hope. No expectations no disappointments. But this is not what we are discussing. We must have hope and then prepare for joy.
From the Gospel accounts, we hear about Mary visiting Elizabeth and this was not just a courtesy call. As we know, a lot has happened before and a lot will happen after that.
Both Mary and Elizabeth, they were waiting with hope for the coming of the Messiah. Even though Mary and Elizabeth were waiting for the Messiah to come, they did not expect it to happen in their time. They also did not expect that they would have an important role in it.
Mary was engaged to Joseph and then the Annunciation occurred and Mary accepted God's will. Elizabeth was barren and when Zechariah was doing his priestly duties in the Temple, he had a vision, he went home and at that very moment Elizabeth became pregnant.
After Mary visited Elizabeth, it was the meeting of two pregnant women. Neither expected themselves to become pregnant, neither did they expect themselves to play an important role in the coming of the Messiah. Both have hope that they have more than they expected and a lot of excitement.
Maria and Elizabeth get their first Christmas present. It was not what they expected and it was also far beyond their expectations. But their gift is not only for themselves. Their gift is the gift of life, the gift to be used to prepare others to meet and experience the Messiah.
So what do we expect for our Christmas gifts? It is better to have no hope so that there is no disappointment or we are optimistic and have hope. Like Mary and Elizabeth who expected God to fulfill the promise of the Messiah.
Let us also expect the Messiah to come into us and our lives with joyful hope. This is not a gift book entitled, how to interpret dreams. But these are the gifts God wants from us. God comes to us as gifts, whether expected or not. God comes and shows us what He wants us to do with that gift.
Mary and Elizabeth knew that their self-giving was meant to fulfill the hope of the coming of the Messiah. May we too be enabled to use our gifts and lead others to Jesus. Truly, blessed is he who has believed, for the word of the Lord which was spoken to him shall be fulfilled.
