Wednesday, February 5, Childcare at Leawood, West, Overland Park will not be open during morning due to local public school systems announcing late arrival schedules. All church buildings will operate on regular schedule. However, at Leawood, West and Overland Park, programs requiring childcare will not be held prior to noon Wednesday.
On Sunday, February 9, we’re moving our regular 5 pm worship service to 4 pm so everyone can get home in time to watch the Chiefs play in the Super Bowl.
43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
46 Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
Mary desperately needed the faith, affirmation and joy that Elizabeth, who was also living with an unexpected pregnancy, gave her. Elizabeth summed it up by saying, “Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her” (verse 45). Mary began her response with, “With all my heart I glorify the Lord!” Elizabeth’s contagious joy gave Mary what she had hurried to receive.
Today’s Insights blog was chapter 15, “How Mary Found Her Joy,” from The Journey: A Season of Reflections, by Adam Hamilton. Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press, and available on our website for 24 hours by permission of Abingdon Press. If you’d like to buy the entire book of reflections, you can click here for a direct link to the Cokesbury sale page, as well as other Journey resources.
Lord God, sometimes I think Advent is happy because I can expect to receive some pricy gift that will eventually wear out. Give me Elizabeth’s joy, looking ahead to the eternal gift of yourself in Jesus. Amen.
* Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, introductory note to Luke 1 in The CEB Women’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2016, p. 1286.