Visitation & Nativity, aka Mother's Day

Pregnant Cousins Meet

Elizabeth felt that something was missing. Being childless in that period of time in the culture of 1st century Palestine held with it a kind of shame. When she learned that she would give birth at such an advanced age, she was filled with joy and laughter. Mary, her young cousin, made the trip from Nazareth to Ein Kerem (which means Spring of the Vine) to serve her at the time of the birth as was her cultural obligation. It was customary, when a cherished visitor arrived at your home, to sing a song of welcome. And if the visitor was very clever, she would sing a song of thanksgiving in response.

This is the moment in which we began our day. Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:39-56), cherished by those in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, was just such a song of arrival. And it is full of symbolic meaning. But I'll leave that for a future sermon, and just say that I have a new appreciation for the depth of this ancient song.

The Church of the Visitation is built on top of a location where Zechariah and Elizabeth would stay in the fields when the summer's heat drove them out of the lower country. Down in the village is the John the Baptist Church which is built over their family home, and the place where the faithful believe he was born. There is also a large stone there which it is said shielded Elizabeth and John during the slaughter of the innocents. The church is one of only two Byzantine era churches that remains standing. It has particularly beautiful floor mosaics of Christian symbols, and I hope that I collected photos of all of them for our Sunday school children who are learning about them in an upcoming unit!

We were invited again to go beyond the place and to the Spirit. Are we ready to leave everything behind and follow him? As a student of the scriptures I know that my growing edge is worrying perhaps too much, about historical authenticity and having a systematic theology. Perhaps that is a function of being in the postmodern West, or being trained at a seminary that was very concerned with such matters. The more time I spend here the more I feel a deeper truth and connection.

Jesus Born Here? Inquiring minds wanna know.

By way of example, we visited a site which was called "Shepherd's Field" that is run by the YMCA. Their claim is that this cave was the cave in which the shepherds in Luke's gospel camped out. The Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox church each have their own field with the same claim. Does it matter if I stood today in THE cave? Or, is it more important to reflect upon what it means that there were shepherds mentioned in the story? Again, another sermon topic for another day.

On the way to Bethlehem we stopped at a Palestinian Christian's woodworker shop, located in the basement of his family home. He showed us how he ages the wood, marks it, then works it into souvenirs for the gift shops. I purchased a number of items because they were lovely, and it was a chance to support someone who is struggling. It is a custom in this land to offer your guests tea or coffee. As we sipped from the tiny cups, one of the people in my party said to him: I'll pray for you. "Please, no - I do not need your prayers. Pray for peace for all the people - Muslim, Jew and Christian. Pray for peace. And when you go home, tell the story and ask your friends to pray for peace also."

Or here?

With that blessing, we were on to the church of the nativity. Underneath the church is the grotto where pilgrims believe Jesus was born. It was marked with a star, and was worn smooth and shiny. As I placed my hand on the spot, I thought of all of those who have gone before me and will go after me and felt deeply moved.

Tomorrow we are off to the Western Wall, and I have carried some of the prayers of my church with me to place amongst it's stones. Pray for peace.