A Season of WaitingSample

Blessed to be a Blessing

I so enjoy imagining this scene. Elizabeth is an older cousin of Mary, and they are obviously close friends. Mary is so keen to share the news with Elizabeth that she is pregnant that she rushes to her home. But before Mary can tell Elizabeth her news, Elizabeth feels her own baby ‘leap’ within and declares a series of blessings. Of course, this is a once-in-history moment, and yet it’s one we remember each year during Advent. I want to be like Elizabeth, so breathtakingly filled with joy in proclaiming the reality that our Lord and Saviour was born into this world. It really is astonishing that our God took on human form to live from birth to death and in doing so had the final say over eternity.

I also value the way Elizabeth blessed Mary for believing God. It’s such a gift to have friends who love us and bless the early beginnings of God's ideas in our lives. I think of my mother and sister’s encouragement of my faith journey, and the way my grannies prayed for me. I’m also thankful for the older women who mentored me and the friends who cheered me on in life and faith. I trust in God’s promise for all of us, that as we share life and faith, we can bless each other and birth a legacy of faith for future generations.

Written by Kath Henry