Someone

Ever had a time in your life when you needed someone?  Someone who might be a bit wiser ... someone who has a different perspective ... someone who will tell you like it is ... someone who will say what needs to be said while being your best friend?  Those someones are very hard to find ... but Mary had someone.
The someone for Mary was her cousin Elizabeth.  Older ... dealing with issues of her own ... and someone who, at that very moment, was sharing an experience that would be part of this world-changing event we call Christmas.

Elizabeth lived about nine days journey from Nazareth where Mary lived.  Isn't it odd that Mary's family would allow her to make a nine-day journey through rough country to go and see Elizabeth?  I believe it says a lot about the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth.  The Bible calls Elizabeth barren in her old age ... Mary called Elizabeth friend and confidante.  These two women were both drawn together by relationship and pulled together by the common experience of what was about to happen.  Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist.  John would be in charge of announcing the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.  He would live an extraordinary life and die a horrible death, all in service to a God who could redeem all of it.  Elizabeth would give birth to John about six months before Jesus would be born, but Mary would spend months sharing stories, hearing her advice and receiving Elizabeth's encouragement.  I believe both women were blessed by their relationship. And their love and friendship was honored by God.

This part of a larger story reminds us the value of that someone in our lives who will love us no matter what and will share our deepest desires, our greatest failures, our biggest successes and our most painful hurts.  When you have a friend like that, never let them go.  Cherish them.  Hold them close.  Pray for and with them.  And be as good a friend to them as they are to you.

Sunday we will share some of this story and this great friendship as Mary is encouraged by Elizabeth.  Elizabeth is helped in her pregnancy by Mary as they both share part of the greatest story of all time.  We will learn about the Biblical meaning of 'blessed.'  We will learn that Elizabeth and John knew the identity of Jesus 10 days after conception (I think that baby was pretty viable at 10 days of life).  And we will learn not to ignore this story as we move through the Christmas season on our journey to the manger in Bethlehem.  Join us!