Prior to reading my article this week, please read the Gospel of Luke 1:5-25, 39-56.
On one of my visits to Israel, I visited Ein Karem, a small village southwest of Jerusalem. This is the traditional place where John the Baptizer was born, a significant part of the Advent story.
Walking into a small house, I imagined myself being a close friend of the family living there two thousand years earlier; a couple named Zachariah and Elizabeth. The small house is elevated from the street and sits in the center of this village, about ninety miles from Nazareth where a young woman named Mary heard the good news that she was to birth a child. Mary had already rejoiced in her anthem of praise we call The Magnificat. Then, Mary journeyed to this small village of Ein Karem over three to five days to share her news with her distant cousin, Elizabeth. Two women living in small towns. At this small house, Mary and Elizabeth blessed one another with news of what was developing within them; promises of God were being fulfilled through them. While they were waiting, they were sharing their good news.
During my afternoon in Ein Karem, few tourists meandered to this small courtyard. Most tour buses skip this site. This reality caused me to ask questions which I now pass along to you:
“Where are the unnoticed sacred places in my journey where God has bestowed big blessings in seemingly small ways?” If you could ask Elizabeth or Mary questions about those days, what would you ask? If you wait for positive and hopeful days to arrive, how do you share the good news you anticipate?
