Sunday 22nd December – Baby Bumps – Pastor Adrian Kitson

22-12-2024, Baby bumps, Luke 1:39-45, mary, pastor adrian kitson

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Leanne and I are getting used to being in the presence of young pregnant women again. Our three boys with their partners, and our daughter with her partner have now all carried a baby to term and given birth. There have been baby bumps appearing everywhere!

I have learnt that a key thing in being OK during pregnancy and beyond is support. Young mums, especially first-time mums need support in all kinds of ways. Hopefully, their partner is their greatest support. This is not always the case, I know, but I am sure this is God’s plan for how it needs to be.

But other support is needed. Women of experience. Mentors. Mum. Other women going through this pregnancy experience together.

Is this why Mary goes over to old Elizabeth and Zechariah’s house for this meeting of the baby-bumps? Probably. This support is to be found within the family network in this ancient culture.

Yes, Mary’s bump is very tiny still. She has only just received the news that she will be and now is pregnant with the man who would be the new King. But nevertheless, little ‘Beanie’ is there and the other in neutero boy bound for a significant role in the coming of this new King’s kingdom knows it.

The little guy John in old Elizabeth’s womb kicks around a bit in there when Mary’s little bump gets close. John’s kicking leads old Elizabeth into prophesying.

… Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women [Mary], and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Double blessing today. Mary, you are blessed by God are you for his choosing of you for this world-changing task – to bear the Son of God.

And blessed are you for faith you have lived. You have always believed in your young life that this boy, this new King, this new promised new kingdom would come.

Is this you this Christmas? Double blessed? Blessed by the Lord as he has chosen you to be part of his world-changing task of bearing the promises of the King of kings in your living of life among others, and blessed with the gift of faith in his words of promise all your life?

I hope this is you this Christmas. But it may not be. You might be more like so many who are unconvinced that your work, your ways, your presence is not up to bearing this King of kings, or even needs to be.

Maybe you feel you have failed in this grand task of bearing the King among your people.

Maybe you never believed that little old you were that important to God or the world anyway.

Maybe you have sort of forgotten that you bear Jesus in your words, your actions, your heart-attitudes and your praying.

Maybe you have never been sure that you even had this ‘Mary’ kind of calling on your life in the first place – as if Christianity is for Sunday’s and all other days are for my days … ?

As for the blessing of faith that God’s promises are all at work and active and shaping the world and your life….. That is easy to forget or leave or put in the past, as you somehow try and forge ahead into some kind of future you can control – a future that does not really require this faith of Mary.

But, here the two women stand in all their thankfulness, leaping wombs, baby bumping and prophetic words.

Both of them don’t deserve any of this and they know it. Both of them did not expect this blessing and know it. Maybe that is why there is such identifiable joy in their words.

One is an older woman. She is married to priest named Zechariah, who has served in the Temple for a life-time. In normal circumstances, like Hannah the mother of the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament, this faithful woman of God, Elizabeth, would not be pregnant except for this special moment in this special part of the Divine plan. All her life, she has lived with a gnawing sense that she has failed, that she is cursed, that she is useless to God’s plan and her husbands plan and her family’s plan. In her time, women who could not conceive lived under this pressure; this shame.

But not now! Shame lifted. Hope born with that baby kicking inside her. Usefulness returned in a BIG way! Hopefulness for family and community back. And she had no hand in achieving it. This is all God and all grace.

And even more. Now her bearing will play a major bearing on the outcome for the world! Her boy will be the long-awaited messenger of whom the Prophets spoke so long ago, and whose words she has known all her life.

Now her little contribution to God’s goodness in the world will be major. And she did not choose it, know how it would occur, know when it would occur…… It chose her. He knew her. He knew it all and gifted it all.

And Mary? She is also not really meant to be here. She of course, is a lot younger. A bit too young in terms of how the timing of things should normally go. She might be only around 14-15 years old. But that is not unusually for the time. The out of whack thing is that the marriage has not happened yet.

The timing is out. And what she has just experienced something out of this world!

How would you go with some spiritual being appearing, naming himself Gabriel and telling you that you will carrying a child before you know it without the usual process!?

Add to that, how would you go hearing that this child you bear will be the difference between evil and good, death and life, kingdoms failing and a kingdom triumphing on global and timeless scale?!

“Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favour with God” (Luke 1:30).

Do not be afraid? Hang on. What do you mean ‘favour?’.

That is a like a friend saying, “Will you say yes to whatever I am about to ask you?”. “Ahhh … depends!”

Thankfully, more words are spoken. Mary listens. She gets the clear picture of what God’s favour means for her. She hears that God’s favour for her is all about gifting her a child and a calling her to be his Mum – the mum of a specially chosen young boy who will be king. (Luke 1:31-34)

What would you do with that?

You could get a big head about it; become the parent who never stops talking about the ‘greatness of your child’. People might roll their eyes when down at the playground or at play group or in the school car park as you talk about your favoured child to other parents ‘not so favoured’, “My child is bound for destiny. Did I tell you about the vision I had?….”.

Or maybe you would do the opposite; keep it quiet. We all know what “labels” can do for kids at school. What if your little guy had the label of “definite Prime Minister” by 2040, of captain of the Aussie Test team for sure? In our Aussie society where “tall poppies” are always fair game, that label could be devastating.

I think Luke wants us to see that Mary towers in her lowliness. She just receives, trusts and marvels. And then she just sings! Is that the model for Christmas Eve and Day and for everyday?

The joy of it all is heightened by the pure giftedness of it all.

Both these women are deeply shamed in their community. One for not bearing for so long and one for bearing too early. And now, the shame is gone, and they did not remove it. All they could do is be ‘overcome by the Holy Spirit’. All they could do was receive – and they did.

How about you? Whatever shame you carry today can be overcome by the Holy Spirit in these words of promise, unless of course, you don’t think you are carrying any burden of shame or guilt or fear or anxiousness – hands up!

We know this little boy Mary caried for the world.

He will not be a king they thought they would get – a Servant King who would lay down his life for forgiveness and love, for all the Elizabeth’s, Mary’s, Hannah’s, Zechariah’s, Joseph’s of the world – all the shameful ones in the world.

He is coming again to you. He is announcing that you are favoured, filled, hopeful, shame-less, hope-filled, healed, well and very, very useful in bearing this Jesus in this community as his Kingdom keeps on coming.

Mary grabs hold of all of this and names it, ‘Promise’.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors … ” (Luke 1:47-55)

We stand with Mary, as she says what and who we all are;

“Father, I am your servant. May everything you say and call me to be just as you want it, Lord.”

Amen.