The Journey of Christmas

The Risky Path to Confirmation

Every now and again, we notice a little detail in a passage of scripture that we have read hundreds of times, and we realize that it carries more meaning than we had ever noticed. Luke tells us that after the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, she “arose and went with haste” to visit Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). It’s one of those line I have never stopped to notice, but let’s pause to open up its world of meaning.

The distance from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea was around 80 miles. No cars. No smooth highways. No heated seats or podcasts. We’re talking about a minimum of four full days of travel, mostly uphill. Anyone making that trip in the ancient world knew it wasn’t a casual stroll. And yet Mary doesn’t hesitate. She doesn’t seem to spend much time thinking about it. She just gets up and goes.

Why? My best guess is that Mary was hungry for confirmation. Gabriel had given her a promise more astonishing than she could comprehend. She would carry the very Messiah of God, the Savior of the Hebrew people and of the world! The Holy Spirit would overshadow her. Did she understand how much her life was about to change? I assume with Gabriel’s promise came a tidal wave of uncertainty. Did that just happen? Am I sure I wasn’t dreaming? What will Joseph think? What would her family say? How do you even begin to process a calling like that?

Mary chooses to seek confirmation ASAP! And what a blessing that God had already offered to her: “Your relative Elizabeth… is in her sixth month.” That detail was such a beautiful gift of God’s grace to this young, frightened teenager. So she didn’t hesitate to embark on this 80-mile journey.

In Mary’s world, women often traveled during pregnancy to be with trusted relatives. It was practical, relational, and sometimes simply necessary. Luke isn’t describing something strange; he’s describing something deeply human. Mary is seeking the safest place for her soul to land, a place where someone will understand. Someone who will believe her. Someone who will speak blessing, not doubt.

And sure enough, the moment she arrives, confirmation abounds. Elizabeth’s child leapt. Elizabeth prophesized. Joy replaced uncertainty. Faith replaced fear.

It makes me wonder how often does God invite us on an uphill journey because the confirmation we’re longing for is on the other side of the risky path?

Maybe obedience feels steep right now, and possibly a bit risky. Maybe you are in need of confirmation about a direction or a path. What we learn from Mary is that God often meets us with clarity, joy, and blessing on the road of obedience, not before it.

Josh Rose
Family Pastor

by Josh Rose

Connected to the Holy Spirit

I dreamt that I stopped my Jeep at an intersection near my house, then noticed a wild lion on the corner. The lion walked to my vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat. I was scared but not harmed, so I drove the lion directly to the place I figured it should go, the Wild Animal Park. On the drive there, the lion leaned closer and closer, pressing my arm, hand, and body into his mane. The dream didn’t last long, but the feeling of fear, mixed with wonder at the closeness I felt to that creature, stuck with me when I awoke. I found myself praying and thanking the Lord for that dream and the feeling that followed it. Perhaps the comparison will seem like a stretch to you, but I found myself asking the Lord to bless me, bless us with similar experiences of connection to the Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures describe a moment like that in Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mom.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:39-45

Elizabeth utters amazing things after Mary’s greeting because she was “filled with the Holy Spirit”! As a result of that filling, she knew what God had been up to and was able to confirm it and therefore bless Mary with that truth without having been told the story yet. She knew Mary was carrying the Messiah. She knew Mary was trusting the Lord and believing that God was working in her, as the angel had said. Please pray with me that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit to confirm God’s truth and works in each other through the faith challenges we face as people and a church.

Pastor John Riley

by John Riley

A Safe Hiding Place

Many years ago I read “The Hiding Place,” the true story of Corrie ten Boom’s life. She and her family’s lives were changed forever when the Dutch surrendered to Hitler’s Germany in 1940. Like her father, Corrie was a watchmaker, the first woman to be licensed as a watchmaker in the Netherlands. They began hiding Jews and others in danger, even building a secret room in their home for added protection. Eventually, all were caught and sent to different concentration and work camps. Corrie and her sister Betsie eventually ended up in Ravensbruck where Betsie died, but not before many there heard about God’s love, even in the middle of the unspeakable cruelty they endured. In that horrible place, they had smuggled a bible, they had each other and their safe place was Jesus.

In Luke 1:39-45, a very young Mary is making haste to the home of her older cousin, after the angel Gabriel tells her she is pregnant, carrying Jesus, the Savior of the world. (Was she in shock and scared?) Elizabeth doesn’t live close by, but Mary doesn’t care–she will understand because she too is unexpectedly pregnant, but in her advanced years. Elizabeth was Mary’s safe place and the Lord knew they needed each other, even silencing Zechariah (Elizabeth’s husband) maybe so they could have “girl time.” (Luke 1: 18-19)

There is something safe about having a close family member (or friend) to go to in a crisis, or even a time of great joy. They’ve known you for a long time and loved you. Elizabeth probably had the wisdom of years, but they were both in the same boat! Both women were pregnant for the first time–exciting yet scary.

We all need to have a safe person to share with, but no matter what, we always have a safe place in the Lord. Psalm 36:7 tells us, “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.” Under His wings is a place to find safety.

David also makes it clear God hides us in the day of trouble as stated in Psalm 27:5 (NLV): “For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His holy tent. In the secret place of His tent He will hide me. He will set me high upon a rock.” Think of an eagle. The mother spreads her majestic wings over her little ones in order to protect them from any storms or predators. She will actually face injury in order to protect her little ones.

God’s Holy Spirit lives within us and we are always with Him in His holy tent. We know from other Psalms that God is our rock, our shelter and our strong tower of refuge. What a friend we have in Jesus–the ultimate safe place!

Deb Hill
EFCC Member

by Deb Hill

Carrying the Supernatural

After Mary received the news from Gabriel the angel that she would be the virgin mother of Jesus, she hurried to her cousin Elizabeth’s place. But when she greeted Elizabeth, something supernatural occurred: “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Luke 1:41).

That is an extraordinary response to an act as simple as a greeting! The joyful reaction from the baby and Elizabeth wasn’t because of Mary herself. It’s because of Who she was carrying: Jesus. She was the vessel of the Savior of the world.

In the same way, we as followers of Jesus are vessels of hope because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we have the opportunity to spark joy and other fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in others—even through our mundane actions—just as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 states, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

But how can God work the supernatural through our everyday lives? Looking back at Mary, she reveals the key during Gabriel’s visit: “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38).

Mary recognized herself as God’s servant and submitted herself to Him, even if it was the tougher choice. This type of surrender requires faith that God will come through like He has in the past and trust that His plans are always superior to ours because He is our sovereign, yet loving Father. God can only work through those who are willing to be His vessel.

For the next couple of minutes, close your eyes or open your journal and invite God to help pinpoint what is hindering you from being His vessel in your day-to-day life. Ask God to reveal the reasons behind the hindrance. Then allow Him to show you the loving truth about Him and His promises, His Love washing away the blockage, making way for the Holy Spirit to fill you and guide you in being His vessel today.

Christina Chaiban
EFCC Attender

by Christina Chaiban

Muse Much?

My family is from Vancouver, Canada, and so we would frequently make an annual pilgrimage to see family and friends. That’s a 1,200-mile trip one way, a 24-hour road trip. I have endless memories of sitting in the back of our red 4Runner, watching the scenery roll by. I’d daydream the whole gamut of things as a kid. As I matured, I found myself doing more pondering and reflection. I loved those trips!

Today, we’re looking at Mary’s journey to Elizabeth’s place in Luke 1:39. The angel informed Mary of her very unique role in God’s plan. He also told her that her cousin was already playing her part. Scripture then skips the journey and tells us how the two women greet each other. I think there’s something wonderful buried in the inferences. We know Mary was in Nazareth, Galilee, and we can assume Elizabeth was in a town called Ein Karem. That is roughly a 100-mile trip, which would take four to five days by foot to complete. That’s a good amount of time for Mary to mull over Gabriel’s words.

Mary had extensive training in the Torah and was deeply aware of God’s hand in the world. Luke records for us that Mary treasured things in her heart. So the news of her new role as the mother of the son of God would have taken center stage in her heart and mind during the trip. All her knowledge of the Torah would have taken on a whole new dimension of meaning and power as she stepped into bringing THE messiah into the world.

There’s a lot to the Old Testament. She probably devoured any knowledge about it she could from then on. If she didn’t have her training, the Magnificat would have looked a lot different. Through knowledge of the Torah, Mary knew the significance of what was about to happen would reach into eternity. The trip was her first time to contemplate the endless ramifications.

I have found the times when life slows to a crawl. God will help me understand how principles from Scripture translate into real life. My life is different from Mary’s, obviously. But I, too, can ponder the richness of the Lord’s plan for me, and I have found immense peace in a tumultuous time of my life. God orchestrated a big four-day trip for Mary’s song to percolate. Next time we are alone with our thoughts, let’s see if we can unpack some of the bigger things God has for us.

Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member

by Jonathan Duncan