Luke 1:56
We have been exploring how Mary gets ready for the coming of Jesus by proclaiming the gospel to Elizabeth. She does this by visiting Elizabeth, which occurs in three parts. The first part is Mary’s greeting, the second is Mary’s song and today we look at the third: Mary’s stay for about three months.
We don’t know what Mary and Elizabeth do in this time, but we might guess that they laugh, tell stories, work and eat with Zechariah, sing and share each other’s pain. In short, they spend time together.
Spending time with people is an important part of sharing the gospel with them. The gospel is not merely a news blurb that we can transfer via text message or flyer (although these are important forms of communication through which we build relationships). The gospel is Christ living in us, and we are the medium of the message. Our very lives – our presence, our personalities, our strengths and weaknesses – form the material through which Christ makes himself known to the world.
Our stay with people with whom we share the gospel may last a lifetime. It may be only a few years. It may be one conversation with them. However long we are given, what matters is our presence with them in the presence of God.
I think of our night shelter. Its purpose is to help look after the physical needs of destitute asylum seekers and refugees, but equally important is the time we spend with them, the relationships we build week after week, waiting with them for a Home Office decision or for stable housing. As we share our lives with them and learn their stories, we communicate the love of God, restoring some dignity in a time of alienation. Both we and they transform from strangers into neighbours. While not the only element of proclaiming the gospel, spending time with people is essential.
Who are the people we share our lives with today, this week, this season? Let’s pray that our time with them becomes gospel time.
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