The Visitation
May 31, 2012
The Lord be with you
Today we celebrate as the visitation of Mary. This
commemorates when Mary, the mother of our Lord, visited Elizabeth, the mother
of John the Baptist, when they were both pregnant (Luke 1:39-45). The Visitation is basically a festival of
Christ. John the Baptist and Jesus, the two great figures of salvation history,
come together for the first time when Mary visits Elizabeth.
Many have noted the step-parallelism in the stories of the
two births (and the lives of the two men in general). Both women conceived
their children under miraculous circumstances, though the miracle in reference
to Mary was greater. Both John and Jesus had their birth announced by angels,
but the birth of John was met with disbelief while the birth of Jesus was met
with belief. Both children are vital in salvation history, but Jesus had the
key role while John announces it. Both die unjustly, but Jesus rose from the
dead on the third day while John waits for the Last Day.
Back to the
Visitation; John is brought into the presence of Jesus while they are still in
their mother’s wombs. This presence of the Lord causes a response by the child
John as he leaps in Elizabeth’s womb. John’s response to the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, foreshadows
John’s own role as forerunner. Already now, a new creation is beginning, and a
baby still in the womb hails the new creation’s inception. Foreshadowed in
John’s leap are the miracles of Jesus, who will cause all creation to leap at
His presence: “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news
preached to them” (Luke 7:22). The incarnate presence of the Messiah also
evokes a response from Elizabeth, who proclaims Mary’s blessedness. Mary’s
Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
provides the theological significance of the meeting as Mary sums up her place
in salvation history. Mary’s song is a hymn to God for His gracious gifts to
the least in this world, whom He has lifted up out of lowliness solely because
of His grace and mercy.
This feast is a
relative newcomer to the Church Year. It was first observed by the Franciscans
in the thirteenth century. Pope Urban IV added it to the Roman calendar in
1389. In 1441 the Council of Basel extended it to the whole Western Church. In spite of its late development, Lutherans
have tended to keep it because of its strong biblical roots. Back in the days
of The Lutheran Hymnal, it was
celebrated on June 2. However, the Roman Catholic Church moved their
celebration to May 31, so that the day would make better chronological sense by
coming before the birthday of John the Baptist, June 24. Most Lutherans saw the
sense of this and made the move also.
Some have used this
event to support the view that life begins at conception. While such a use of
the story is legitimate, that certainly isn’t the main focus. The main focus is
that God has taken on human flesh for “us men and for our salvation.”
Collect for the Day:
Almighty God, in
choosing the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Your Son, You made known Your
gracious regard for the poor, the lowly, and the despised, and You inspired her
to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need; Grant us grace to receive Your
word in humility, and so to be made one with Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Appropriate prayers for the day include:
- For the poor, the forgotten, the despised
- For grace to acknowledge Christ and to perceive his coming
- For hospitality to visitors and travelers
- For a deepening sense of Emmanuel, God with us
- For all pregnant women
- For God’s blessing on homes and family life
- For the safety of all unborn children
- For a proper regard by all Christians of Mary, the mother of our Lord
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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