The Gospel reading from Luke on the fourth Sunday in Advent gives the only Biblical account of the Visitation (Lk 1:26-45). The Visitation of Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, is a rich source of commentary on the role of Mary in the Christian Church and tells us about the role of the Holy Spirit. Beyond Mary’s alarm, the Holy Spirit empowered her as ‘the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time.’ What happened 2000 years ago ‘for the first time in the plan of salvation and because God’s Spirit had prepared Mary could happen again through me and you if we allow God to find the dwelling place for His Son and His Spirit in us. Beyond Mary’s alarm and surrender, the Holy Spirit reminds us that ‘grace never casts nature aside or cancels it out, but rather perfects and ennobles it.’

Karl Barth, the renowned Swiss Protestant theologian, wrote in 1927, “World history is the story of men! However, in order to give God alone all the honour in the greatest work of world history, here God excluded the man and his doing.” Only by the power of the Holy Spirit, who “overshadowed” Mary, was she able to accept and do what is “impossible with men, but not with God.” Indeed, except the Lord built the house, the labourers labour in vain. We can only do the holy thing through the power of the Holy Spirit. For example, when Elizabeth, Mary’s kinswoman, was filled with the Holy Spirit, her utterances about Mary were no longer from her head but from God. Elizabeth’s theology was based on the Holy Spirit and active devotion to God.

As a model of chosen vessels for God’s highest purpose and witness, Mary is not hypocritical, but Holy Spirit-filled. Just like many of us, that God has prepared to bear Him witness, Mary could not have known that, from the beginning of time, God had an eye on her as somebody He had prepared her for bearing, the One who would be the world’s Saviour. Mary, as a woman of faith, responded with alarm when an angel of the Lord told her she had found favour with God and would give birth to the baby Jesus, “How can this be, seeing I know not a man?” she asked, “I’m a virgin.” This is a legitimate human question and alarm.

The messenger answered, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). When the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, her motherhood was not the consequence of matrimonial knowledge, but the work of the Holy Spirit. The power “overshadowed” Mary’s alarm – the mystery of Jesus’ conception and birth.

Our Gospel passage narrates Mary’s visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth on this last Sunday of the Advent season. Her visit brought so much joy and peace, so much so that the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. The angel said, “And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God, nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Lk 1: 36-38).

Mary submitted herself entirely to God’s will, which He desires and plans based on His character and purposes. Mary trusted God’s message. She willingly accepted the honour and the criticism that being Jesus’ mother would bring. Part of the criticism and rejection would likely come right away as her body showed signs of being pregnant before marriage without seeing a man but through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Young women in the church should follow Mary’s example in terms of sexual purity, love for God, faith in His Word, and a willingness to obey the Holy Spirit, no matter what He asks. Mary, in her response, the hymn known as the Magnificat, recognises her own need for spiritual salvation. Just as anyone who ever lives, she too was a sinner who needed Jesus Christ as “Saviour” (Lk 1:47)
Just as it is clearly and unmistakably stated that Jesus was born of a virgin, His Second Coming is sacrosanct; no head theology or redefinition can change it. The Holy Spirit worked a miracle within Mary’s body, and the child was conceived only by a supernatural act of God. As a result, Jesus is completely ‘holy’,’ pure, perfect, spiritually complete and entirely devoted to God’s purposes. Jesus came into the world unstrained by sin, unlike others born into the human race. Jesus is free from spiritual and physical corruption.

What is the significance of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth in Luke’s Gospel? ‘The Holy Spirit is active here, and in a moment of inspiration, Elizabeth acknowledges Mary’s role as mother of the Messiah. The Visitation is theological and missional. Luke brings the two women together so that their roles are seen to be linked: Elizabeth’s child is the precursor to Mary’s child. Mary’s visit caused Elizabeth to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and she cried loudly: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” True to her words, Mary is the most blessed of all women that ever lived and will ever live.’

Dear brothers and sisters, are there times when you ask, “How can this be?” or wonder how God could do something through us? The wise person will respond as Mary did: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word.” Just as the Holy Spirit fashioned Mary’s whole existence, your fruitful leadership and the church’s existence and growth are only possible by the Holy Spirit. The arm of flesh always fails. Just as in the fullness of time the Holy Spirit completed in Mary all the preparation for Christ’s first coming among the People of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the fullness of time, our preparation for the Second Coming of Christ shall be complete.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, let Your Holy Spirit overshadow me and Your church now and always. Amen.

Let us prayerfully sing one of the hymns by John Neale:
1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain