A Life Worth Living

Mary and Elizabeth meet

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Elizabeth’s baby leaps

pa-rum-pa-pum-pum He knows he met his king ,

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what joy this savior brings

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It took years for me to finally start appreciating Christmas music. All the merriment felt so superficial to me because Christmas season wasn’t entirely joyful. My memories were a mixture of sorrow and joy. If you know me , you’ll know this, I love Christmas music now. So what changed? I realized Joy and sorrow can co-exist. Its okay for me cry and laugh, to be sad about hard things in life and be excited about what this season represents. And there is so so much to be joyful about when I look at Christ.

 As we Jump back into the gospel of Luke, there’s a sense of excitement as our timeline continues with the birth of John the Baptist. Mary and Elizabeth have an epic meeting before the birth of John, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb is leaping for joy upon meeting Mary, Elizabeth is filled with the Spirit, and Mary bursts into song.

At the right time, John the Baptist is born and the news brings great joy to many. When the time for naming baby John comes, the writer  shifts his focus from Elizabeth to Zechariah in the story. Zechariah who was once filled with unbelief in a turn of events, confirms the name (John) by writing it down and at that moment the hitherto dumb Zachariah begins to speak again. His first words are praises to God. The story crescendos with Zacharia’s prophecy after he is filled with the Spirit.

My version is highly condensed but as you read Luke 1:39-79 there’s unmistakable joy at the work God is doing and this joy leads his people to respond in praise. We see a joyful recounting of what God has done and an acknowledgment of who He is and His dealings with man. In all instances of praise, the praise is completely directed towards the one being praised – God is the subject and object of all the Praise.

As you consider this passage, you might be tempted to think that this kind of praise response only applies to Mary, Elizabeth, and Zechariah or the people of that time. However, we too are recipients of God’s grace through Christ. We no longer sit in darkness; the light has dawned on us. In fact, psalms 145 says  God is worthy of all our praise. As we look at God’s activity on our behalf in sending Christ, and as we reflect on his character, may our hearts respond with praise. The more we engage in the act of praise, the more we are forced to look away from ourselves and look to God.

Let us praise the Lord together!

 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago, Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:68-69,78-79

I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. psalms 145:1-3