Today is a day we should open our hearts to friends and God, and the scripture lesson for this morning is a phenomenal lessen in what radical hospitality means. I think it just makes sense to me that when we're taking about radical hospitality, it takes a woman to show us how it's done. And we find that in the story of Elizabeth. Elizabeth gives us a perfect example of what we, the church, should be practicing. Not only this time of year, but all the year through, what radical hospitality looks at. So many times when we read this story, we kind of glance over what Elizabeth did and, yes, her son was John the Baptist and we keep on going, but we don't really pay attention to what's happening in her life.
You know, I passed that 50 mark, and I didn't think that would make a big difference, but I began to notice that I get tired a lot more easily. Things that were important to me aren't quite so important anymore. They'll wait until I'm ready. I was just thinking, how Elizabeth must have felt at that time.
Here she is beyond child rearing years. We don't know exactly her age. But let's call it over 50. And I know how sometimes I get tired quicker than I used to. And I can't witness to the fact of what happens when you're pregnant, okay, but I could witness to what happened to my wife when she was and how tired she got. Now combine the two, if you would. Imagine Elizabeth over 50 now, expecting a child. How tired is she? Can you see her? Can you see her straining to make it through every day life just trying to take care of herself and her husband? Can you see her sitting on the couch if we use today's terms in the living room, looking over at the end table and seeing the dust on there and saying, well, you know, I'll get that some other time. And maybe looking into the next room and there is Zachariah's coat is on the table. She's told him a hundred times to hang it up, you know, it looks pretty good right there. And if I could, I would put my feet up on the coffee table, but it's too much work to do that.
Picture this beautiful woman, now, and imagine what it must have taken to hear and to invite a pregnant, unwed teenager into her home to stay for a while. Now, I can't imagine her being ready for company for just a couple of hours, let alone having somebody stay three months. Imagine what it took for her to be willing to do that and to do that with a joyful heart. And yet, even in spite of that, there were two things that changed that from hospitality to what I call radical hospitality. Two things she did. The first one we read happened as soon as she saw Mary.
Now, I know in my human condition, if I knew somebody coming to my house, pregnant, unmarried, my head would be filled with a lot of questions. Did you tell your parents? Do they know? Does your husband to be know? Who's is it? The rumor beat you here. Somebody says it's the guy down the street. But I think it might have been the guy behind you.
And what are you going to do about it? Can you hear all those questions going on in your head? And yet, when Elizabeth sees Mary for the first time, the first thing she says to her is how wonderful it is that you are here and how beautiful you are that God is working in your life. She celebrates what's happening to her and she celebrates, more importantly, who Mary is without question. Accepting Mary for who she is without asking the circumstances she's in or asking what is she going to do about it. She celebrates her for being there. Now, that is really hard to do. And that is very gracious to receive, isn't it? To have somebody do that for you.
The second thing she does is she gives Mary feel favored experience. She says to Mary, how blessed am I that you showed up here. Why would you choose me to come to my house? I'm nobody. And you are wonderful. She shares with Mary the feel favored blessing because she knows it first hand. See, that feel favored blessing only comes when you know and have experienced God in your heart. Now, Elizabeth has already done that, hasn't she? She's pregnant when she didn't think it was ever going to happen. And God says, I'm going to give you a sign, which is even a greater thing. And God said, you know what? There is a special plan I have for you in your life and you're going to see it unfold. And Elizabeth hears all these things and realizes how special she is.
So, it is very easy for her to share that feeling, being favored with Mary and that's what she does. She says, Mary, you are so blessed. Now, can you think of anybody else who has probably said that to her in the last three weeks? I can't imagine anybody saying that to an unwed mother. But she says you are are so blessed. And who am I to receive you?
Imagine if we as a church greeted people with no questions asked and, not only that, made them feel like they were president elect Obama coming in the door? You know, moving everything out of the way, making sure the pew is dusted off. My, goodness, I think it's last week's bulletin in that slot, you know. And feeling a favored blessing.
That's what we're called to do as a church. When we open the door of our hearts to friends and strangers, we give them the blessing of God that we have received inside and we share that with one another.
I will share with you a story. This happened 10 years ago. A woman is walking down the street on her way to her car after a frantic day of shopping. She wasn't able to find anything she needed, and as she walks by a shoe store, she sees this young boy looking intently in the window. So, she stops the little boy and she says, boy, you're really focused on that window. Is there something that you see in there that you want? And he says, I'm praying to God that Santa brings me a pair of shoes. With that, she looked down and saw that he had shoes that were half there and half gone. And she said to the young man, she said, well, let's see if we can't help you with that. And she takes the shoes into the the shoe store and asks the salesman, I need six pairs of socks and a basin with some warm water and a towel, and she takes and sits the boy down in one of those seats and the towel and basin comes first, and she takes off her glove and she begins to unwrap his feet and washes them in the warm water. Then the salesman comes and he brings the socks and she puts one pair on him and takes the other five and stuffs them in the pockets of his coat. And then the young salesman says, let me have him stand up and I'll see what size he wears. And she gets him a pair of new shoes and she puts them on and she pays for them, and the two of them are walking out of the door and she says now, I bet that feels a lot better. And he responded with something that hits her like a brick to the side of the head. He said to her, ma'am, are you god's wife?
Let's think about what God's plan is for us. Today, let's begin to work that plan. Let's see who God is putting in our lives today. Remember, we're blessed to be a blessing. And so, the question for today is, are you able to open the door of your hearts to a cup of hot chocolate and maybe an hour of conversation? Or how about an evening of sharing with people who feel alone? Or can you offer a plate of cookies and deliver them with that feel flavored blessing? Or maybe this one: Who do you know that's going to be alone this Christmas? Who do you know that's going to spend that day and that night alone? Can you open your home to them as Elizabeth opened her home to Mary?
You know, something wonderful happened in that home when Mary arrived. Here you have two women blessed by God, sharing in their pregnancies, sharing what was happening in their lives, probably poking fun at Zachariah in the middle. But what a time they had. Because they were in God's plan. They were opening their hearts to what God' had before them, and they were opening their hearts to other people. And while they were blessing someone else, God was blessing them. Because after all, when you get right down to it, the greatest gift we can give this Christmas is what we proclaim the season to be about. Emanuel, God is with us. God came. And so, can we give anything less than to give of ourselves?