Do You Hear What I Hear? (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

 “A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”-Luke 1:39-45

At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She heard something! She didn’t hear Jesus with her ears or see Jesus with her eyes. Mary didn’t inform Elizabeth of her pregnancy, nor was she far enough along to be showing. Rather, Elizabeth recognized the presence of Christ informed her soul and spirit. She began to proclaim, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” Elizebeth recognizing the spirit of Christ responded with joy and acclamation. 

The child that Elizabeth carried (who would grow up to be John the Baptist), neither saw Jesus nor heard Jesus, yet when Jesus came into the room, John leapt with joy inside of Elizabeth. He recognized his creator and responded with joy at the presence of God. 

It wasn’t until the shepherds had an angelic visitation and went and laid eyes on Jesus that they returned glorifying and praising God. It wasn’t unit the wisemen traveled to Bethlehem to see the newborn king that they presented their gifts and worshiped Him. However, Elizabeth at just the sound of Mary’s greeting was awakened to the spirit of Christ. You don’t need decorations, Christmas carols, or a powerful sermon to awaken the Christmas Spirit inside of you. 

Some of you just can’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit. Instead of awakening joy inside of you, this time of year awakens anxiety, depression, and stress. We have allowed the over-commercialized components of Christmas to deafen us to the sound of Christ’s presence. 

We’ve convinced ourselves that it would take an angelic vision to awaken our hearts to the spirit of Christ. Yet, it is my prayer that we would recognize the presence of Christ in the simplest of greetings. That we would experience eHim in the handshake of a stranger, the smile of a child, and the gentle encouragement of a friend. In those moments, I pray that we would recognize the presence of Jesus.

Honestly, I love the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas, but all I have enjoyed is the exhilaration of festivity, if I don’t experience the presence of Jesus in it. I think God would be pleased if we all celebrated Jesus’  birth like Elizabeth. I realize that Elizabeth was not there when Jesus was actually born. She wasn’t there when He was born into this world, but she was fully present the moment that He was born in her. 

“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”-Luke 1:41 

Elizabeth was fully present the moment that Christ filled her soul. Christmas can come alive in you, too, if you will let Christ be fully present in you this Christmas! 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church