visitation

Zephaniah 3:14-18; Ps among you is the great and Holy One of Israel; Luke 1:39-56

"Shout for joy...sing joyfully...be glad and exult with all your heart...The Lord has removed the judgment against you...you have no further misfortune to fear...The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty savior...He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love...He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals."


What a beautiful sentiment to begin the day.  Picture God singing because of you.

The particular image from the prophet Zephaniah now can be easily misunderstood.  Initially, we may read it and think it is meant for an individual person of faith.  But this would be a misread of the prophet.

The prophet is proclaiming a day of rejoicing for that small remnant, community of believers who remain faithful to God's call and God's Commands.

God always rejoices over a community of believers.  This is important for us to remember.  Too often we have diluted the communal aspect of faith and solely focus on the individual and how the individual becomes righteous before God.

Righteousness also primarily is rooted in the community that is faithful and true.

This is what cause great joy to God.

In today's feast, we catch a glimpse of a community rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.  Mary, ELizabeth, and John experience this movement of joy as they encounter the mighty savior.

What a greeting that must have been that reached the ear of Elizabeth that caused the vibrations of delight and joy to fill her being!  "At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant leaped for joy."

Then we hear those words of Mary, "He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever."

God comes to build a community that is alive with his presence.