For the Fourth Sunday of Advent…
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste…
Luke 1:39
Christmas will be here in a few days. Some families and friends may have already celebrated Christmas early because it worked out to gather with lots of people then. Others are getting ready for the festivities to come. You might be like Mary, preparing to leave your home and to go somewhere else for a time. Mary was determined in where she was going, setting out in haste. As Mary goes to the hill country, she brings the presence of Jesus in her pregnant belly to that home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. For Elizabeth, the presence of Jesus brought her joy, and by her speech she proclaimed Mary “blessed… among women” (v. 42).
Wherever you are going for Christmas, how will you bring the presence of Jesus to those you spend time with?
May Christ fill you with his grace, so that by your words and actions, you will bring the joy, peace and love of God.
Lord, make me a vessel of your joy and peace.
