(Not so) Insignificant Places

God sees your situation, knows your deeds. This is good news. (Depending on what you're doing, of course.)

Mary would have traveled some 80-100 miles to visit Elizabeth.

Let’s consider what’s happening for the moment. God has established a plan to save the world. The whole world. The cosmos, actually. At the moment of this plan beginning to come together, there are some powerful human institutions on earth. We of course know that Rome was strong and powerful. But throughout the world, there were other concurrently-existing kingdoms and powers. The Parthian empire throughout southwestern Asia, the Han Dynasty in the area of China and Mongolia, the early Mayan empire in the Americas, and the Kush Kingdom in northern Africa. Various other tribes controlled areas in Europe, southern Africa, and South America.

All of these areas were bustling with people groups in charge. And then back in Rome, men were conspiring amongst themselves for power.

…so then there’s young Mary and insignificant Elizabeth, meeting together for a hug in the Judean hills, with the plan for salvation being seeded and nurtured in their wombs.

That’s something.

Luke 1:39-45

Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”

Micah 4:1-5

But in the days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of the mountains; it will be lifted above the hills; peoples will stream to it. Many nations will go and say: “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God, so that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in God’s paths!”

Instruction will come from Zion and the Lord’s word from Jerusalem. God will judge between the nations and settle disputes of mighty nations, which are far away. They will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war. All will sit underneath their own grapevines, under their own fig trees. There will be no one to terrify them; for the mouth of the Lord of heavenly forces has spoken.

Each of the peoples walks in the name of their own god; but as for us, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and always.

Prayer

God,

Do you really care for the sparrow? I mean, I know I should believe what Jesus said, but there are a lot of sparrows in the world. A lot.

Realizing the significant work you began in the wombs of people like Mary and Elizabeth makes me think that perhaps you do indeed see and know of situations that are seem otherwise insignificant in the grand scheme of human thought and action.

So bless me as I tie my kids shoes today.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.