"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth...Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy."
Luke 1:39-40, 56-58
We have been created for community, for relationship, for fellowship. God made us in his image, not just to display his glory, but that we could commune with him and participate in dynamic relationship with those he has placed in our lives, especially those with whom we share a common bond in Christ. God intentionally designed his church to be a community, to be a family grounded in his love and grace and centered on the person of Christ. It is here that God intends for his people to find encouragement, to receive blessing, to find hope, to share one another's burdens, to offer hospitality, to extend grace, and to spur one another on to love and good deeds. It is within this spiritual family that God desires us to hear and see what God has done and what he is doing in the hearts and lives of his people. It is here that we are called to testify to the love, mercy, and provision of God and to share in one another's journey. There is nothing more powerful, motivating, challenging or life-changing than when the people of God witness the Spirit of God at work in each other's lives and experience fellowship together around His work.
Mary, having herself experienced a tremendous work of God in her own life, hurries to Elizabeth's house to bear witness to God's provision. The interaction between Mary and Elizabeth is a beautiful picture of what the family of God can and should be. Both of these women are so consumed with God and his activity in their lives that it pours out of them like water from a fountain, overflowing in exuberant praise, blessing, and honor. And, as the work of God within his family always does, it then spilled over into the lives of the neighbors and relatives who not only were able to share Elizabeth's joy, but marveled in awe at the goodness and power of God manifest in their midst. Not only were Mary and Elizabeth's lives changed, but the community around them felt the impact.
As God's people, we are called to be witnesses and to bear witness. Both are the purpose, beauty and blessing of the church, and there is divine synergy between the two. There is something that comes alive in us when we gather together with other believers to testify to the hand of God at work in our lives. We find renewed perspective and gain deeper insight into the person and heart of God. We are encouraged, exhorted and strengthened to persevere in our pursuit of Christ, to keep eternity in full view. We are comforted in sorrow, being assured that God is good and his love is real and present in the middle of what can seem like staggering silence. And yes, we find joy as we hear about all that God is doing in his people and rejoice in his presence and blessing. When we witness our Savior alive, active and manifest in our midst we can't help but become excited about who he is, what he has done for us, and go forth and witness to those around us. It is something that overflows out of hearts that are full, because we have seen the power of God at work in the family of God, and so long for others to share the love, joy and hope that we have in Christ.
Advent is God's invitation to all mankind to join his family, his community. To his people it is an exhortation to pursue life-changing fellowship centered in the person of Christ and a catalyst to share his love and light to a sin-darkened world. As the family of God, let's find renewed joy as we testify together to what God is doing in our lives, and may the overflow impact the hearts of those around us who desperately need the Savior we worship.