Holy

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Luke 1:49 ESV

Humanly speaking, the virgin conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb was a massive inconvenience for her. As the bump became obvious, she could no longer hide that she was pregnant, and everyone would have assumed that she had either been unfaithful to her fiance Joseph, or else she'd cheated on him. Maybe that's why she went to visit her relative Elizabeth in the south of the country, away from her nosy, judgemental neighbours.

Visiting Elizabeth will have been a great blessing. Elderly Elizabeth and Zechariah were expecting their own miracle baby: John 'the Baptist', as he would be known as a grown up, the herald of Mary's Son Jesus, the Saviour of the world. Whilst there, Mary broke out into a poetic expression of praise, from which we get this verse.

Almighty God truly did great things for Mary. Whatever the stigma of the virgin birth, the honour and responsibility of bearing the eternal Son of God was not lost on her. It seems almost blasphemous to say it, but this humble, and un-immaculate peasant girl became the mother of God. Jesus was begotten, not created however.

It seems unholy for the God who is a Holy Spirit to get involved in flesh and blood, wombs and amniotic fluid. And yet Mary recognised that in all the disgustingness and travail of impending childbirth, God was purely and intimately involved. As the old hymn puts it, God displayed 'matchless condescension'- not that He was condescending as we understand that word now, but that He (seemingly blasphemously!) humbly condescended to 'tabernacle', or to 'pitch up tent' amongst us, to 'take frail flesh' and to die for sinners like us.

'Almighty God, we acknowledge that You have done great things for us, and that Your name is holy. In the beautiful name of Jesus, amen'
 

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