blessed is she

 

Elizabeth's baby danced as Mary came toward her. Mary, a common girl with God incarnate growing toes and fingers and a beating heart. And as this common girl stepped foot into her Elizabeth's home her cousin called out a blessing. Blessing this common girl holding uncommon glory, blessing her faith in the promise of a God who came to save his people through this growing babe, who came to save his people with his presence.

 And could we be blessed too? Could we name the promises of God and hold fast to them, believing in their fulfillment? Believing, even among such trials, with a stubborn hope that God will do what he said he would?

 Long ago, the prophets foretold of a coming Savior. Long ago, they cried out with stubborn hope that he would come, he would live among us, he would be our salvation. And long ago he came in flesh and bones, with beating heart, with a cry that filled a stable, covered in blood and fluid and fulfilling prophecy after prophecy. Long ago he came and lived and died and lived again. 

 And now, we are awaiting for him to come again, to bring about a new heavens and a new earth, to restore his Kingdom fully, to no more let sins and sorrows grow and to make his blessings flow. And what is his blessing? What is this promise we wait for? What is this hope we have?

 It was the same then when the prophets foretold as it is now: Emmanuel, God with us. Our greatest blessing is his presence. Our greatest blessing is Him. And His presence is here with us now in part, and we hope with a stubborn hope when we are with Him fully. When like Adam and Eve we walk with him in restored gardens and work alongside Him with no shame and whole hearts. 

 We hope and we are blessed when we hope. We ask for him to come now among us, in the moments of our everyday life and we ask him to come fully that we may experience His presence as we were meant to. We ask for the blessing of his presence in the here and now and in the life, the full and true life, to come. We believe, like Mary, that he will do what he said he would do. 

 May you be blessed in your believing

 that against all odds and skepticism

 from others and your own doubting heart

 that he will do what he promised he would

 that he is God with us

 and Emmanuel is our blessing

 that his presence is what we hope for.

 May he bless you with his presence 

 and may you be blessed in your stubborn hope

 for his coming again.