Advent 4 -Mary Letter Day 22

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she

 entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,

 the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with

a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has 

this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound 

of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that 

there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Luke 1:39-55

Dear Aunt Elizabeth,

We arrived in the city last night and waited until dawn was breaking to inquire

after a room. There seem to be none! I ache for a soft or at least, softer place

to sleep and some fresh food and water. I feel so grimy and unwell right now.

Joseph has gone off in search of some cousins who might have space for us.

I am sitting in a crowded market place, trying to keep my wits about me but

I am fraying at the edges. I feel like soon my whole being will fall apart. I'm

a bit queasy which I hope is just because of the need for water, the closeness

of the crowds and the noise of the city. I had no idea! And it smells terrible

here too! The combination of ripe animals and people! Oh, Auntie, I am

not sure that I can manage this!

Elizabeth, would you get word to Momma and Poppa that we have made

it to the city? And please, leave out the harder details so they do not worry.

I do not want to upset them anymore than I have already. They had a very

hard time accepting God's call on my life as it was. They are still the parents

of a daughter and I know they worry terribly.

I have been thinking of late of our time together. We sang and laughed as if

there were no worries in this world. We felt as if God's promises were easy!

Now I know that following God's is a blessing and a daily challenge. My

whole being has been changed forever, for God. And I am so willing to be

a servant and yet so scared at the same time. I pray that when my time comes

I can be brave. I hope I can be a good mother too! So much to worry about in

this scary environment.  Pray that we can find shelter, please, as I am so tired

and feeling like the baby is ready to pop.

love always,

Mary

The Collect:

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus 

Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.