QUICKLY
I have always loved the urgency in Luke’s story of the Visitation; ‘Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country’. By all accounts Mary’s journey to Elizabeth won’t have been easy. That Mary loses no time in making her journey speaks of the power of God’s promise in her life. Mary’s life rests on three foundation stones: God’s Word (Torah), God’s Service (Prayer), God’s Work (Kindness). There is a sense in which all three of these compel her to make the journey.
Whatever we imagine the terrain to be like, the journey was long and not without danger for someone Mary’s age. Luke gives us none of the details of the journey, focusing instead on the joy of Mary and Elizabeth meeting and recognising each other as vessels of God’s will.
Urgency can be a difficult thing to navigate in our daily lives. So many things can make an urgent call on hearts and minds. The urgency of love is a different matter. We probably all have in our lives people for whom we would drop everything and go ask quickly as we could.
Which things compel you?
Where is God calling you to go quickly this Advent?
(Luke 1:39-45, Dec 21st)