Devotion: Joy

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:26-45

Sunday morning as I sang and enjoyed the process of our Christmas Cantata, being a part of something much larger than myself, I was swept up in the emotion of this “preparation” for the birth of our coming King. That feeling that people get when something wonderful is about to happen. As the music swelled I felt my heart delight in the majesty of the feelings of the shepherds and others that night in Bethlehem.

Throughout the scriptures we are told of people whose joy was immeasurable in the relationship they held with God. Noah was said to have walked with God and it was “counted to him as righteousness. Samuel was “called by God”, and King David was called, “A man after God’s own heart. Even the apostle Paul’s conversation with the risen Lord long after Jesus was taken into heaven. That realization of such happiness that is beyond the emotion itself.

In Matthew 5 Jesus relays his teaching in the beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…” and I love the commentary listed in my Bible. It states that the word “Blessed”, means an emotion greater than joy. That happiness is too often based on outward circumstances that may change but pure Joy is so much more than this. Blessed here refers to the ultimate well-being and distinctive spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the kingdom of God.

Mary was very young when Gabriele visited her. When the angel appeared to Mary I suppose there was this same kind of emotions going on in Mary’s heart. That unmeasurable joy too great for mere words.

That she had been favored by God! To realize that God truly watched over and knew Mary. And had a most special plan for her life.

In today’s world with the various degrees of chaos its often hard to find that degree of pure joy. We witness the disasters of our world both natural and man-made and wonder if we are lost or where our heavenly Father is. Its times like these I want to curl up in His lap like a little child for protection. It’s also times like this I am comforted in knowing God is there for us. And in that I find my “Joy”.

I urge you to take even a moment of the days ahead and ask God to bring peace to our hearts. The kind of peace that passes, “All understanding.” And in that moment, find the kind of Joy only the birth and renewed assurance of our Savior’s life and promises to us of eternal life and pure Joy can bring!

Holy Heavenly Father! Thank you for this precious season of renewed joy at the birth of our Savior. And grant us the peace in our souls that we long for. ~AMEN

This devotion is written by Fran Baatz.

If you would like to serve as a member of the Sheridan Lutheran Writing Team and help to write devotions based on the text for the weekend, contact Patty Forsberg.

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