Christmas Eve 1999
Luke 1:39-45
Communion in God’s Providence
Dr. J. Ligon Duncan 

An incident which occurred just a few months before the fulfillment of what we’ve already read or heard read in Luke chapter 2 verses 1 through 20, a few months before in Luke chapter 1 verses 39 through 45 an interesting and important meeting occurred between two friends, cousins, as a very young expectant mother met with a not-so-young expectant mother.  Both of them, thankful to God and amazed about what God had done in their lives, neither of them knowing that before the end of it the two boys whom they were carrying in their wombs would die, one for the cause of the kingdom, one for the salvation of the world.  And we cannot comprehend the things that those mothers went through in the days that they had the privilege or rearing these two boys, but the meeting, I think, is very instructive for us.  And the next few days, in the next few hours many of us are going to be afforded the opportunity to fellowship, to fellowship with family members, friends, with neighbors, those whom we love.  And it’s my hope that that fellowship will not just be cordial fellowship or family fellowship or friendly fellowship but that it will be distinctly Christian fellowship.  And I think Mary and Elizabeth have something to teach us about distinctively Christian fellowship.  So let’s hear God’s holy and inspired word here in Luke chapter 1 verse 39 and following. 

“Now at this time, Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country to a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?  “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.  ‘And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.’” 

Thus ends this reading of God’s holy and inspired word.  May He add His blessing to it.  Let’s pray.  

            Our Father, as we think for a few minutes on this Christmas Eve on Your word, we ask that You would reveal to us Your truth for our hearts and that You would enable us to focus the whole of our conversation upon the One who is the center of all Your redeeming plans, the One who is our Savior.  We pray, O Lord, that not only our Christmas celebration would be filled with Christ, but the whole of our conversations throughout the year and in all of our walks would be filled with thoughts of and words about our Lord and our Savior.  And we ask it in Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

I. The importance of Christian fellowship
    I think this passage has much to teach us about Christian fellowship, and I’d like to think about two or three or four things that it sets forth before us.  Now don’t worry about your children squirming.  I was a youth director once; it won’t bother me a bit.  It will bother you a lot more than it will bother me.  Think with me for just a few minutes about what this passage has to say about Christian fellowship.  First of all, let me suggest to you that communion with other believers is an important means where by God strengthens our faith.  When we get together with other believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it strengthens our faith, and especially when we think with them about spiritual things.  Both of these women were strong believers in God, and you see the emphasis on God’s word in this passage, on the plan of God in this passage as Elizabeth speaks to Mary.  And both of these women have been called to extraordinary tasks.  And they strengthen one another for those extraordinary tasks in this fellowship.  Mary hurried to go be with Elizabeth, a woman who was older in the Lord, who had walked for many years with the Lord, who had a godly husband.  Mary was a young mother; she had much ahead of her.  One was to rear a child who was to be as it were, Elijah, preparing the way for the Lord. and one was to rear a child who was to be the Savior of the world.  And so they gather to strengthen one another.  And so we see even in this meeting, the importance of Christian fellowship.  

And we should always regard fellowship with one another, communion with one another, as a way in which God strengthens us in the faith.  J.C. Ryle once said, “First let us seek the face of God; then let us seek the face of God’s friends.”  As we strengthen one another in fellowship with God’s friends, we are equipped for the task which God calls us to carry out in this life.  So this passage reminds us something of the importance of Christian fellowship.  

II. The content of Christian fellowship
    But we also see something about the content of Christian fellowship in this passage.  Have you noticed the conversation that goes on between Mary and Elizabeth?  We don’t have all of it and we might wish that we did, but notice how Luke tells us something of the shape of what they talked about.  Notice how Elizabeth speaks to Mary and how Mary responds to Elizabeth.  And notice the clear language, the spiritual language that Elizabeth uses.  For instance, in verse 43 when she speaks about “my Lord” and in verse 45 when she speaks of Mary being “blessed.”  She’s using the language which indicates that she’s thinking spiritually.  Her thoughts are controlled by God in His word.  Now they don’t content themselves with a discussion of daily and mundane matters.  I’m sure they talked about them.  I’m sure that Mary had a thousand questions to ask Elizabeth because she was going to be a very young mom indeed and she needed some hints on how to run a household in her circumstance.  And I’m sure they talked about a thousand mundane matters, but they did not content themselves with simply discussing those daily common, mundane matters.  They spoke about spiritual things.   

Now let me just ask you this: Do you find it easy in your normal conversation and even in your holiday conversation to speak about spiritual things in a natural way?  Without seeming pretentious or self-righteous or flippant, can you speak naturally about spiritual things?  It’s evident that these two women found it easy to talk about spiritual things and to weave it into the fabric of their conversation.  And that’s a mark of Christian fellowship.  The content of Christian fellowship is focused upon Christ and upon His word and is suffused with thoughts of God.  And these two women came together and they not only encourage one another in fellowship, they talked about God together.   

Notice also, and you see this in verse 45, notice also that Christian fellowship is designed to encourage us.  It’s important because it encourages us.  Look at the high praise that Elizabeth bestows upon Mary for her faith.  She says, “Blessed is she who believes that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”  Elizabeth takes the time to say, ‘Mary, I want to say, I want to call down God’s blessing on you for being a woman of faith.’  Now let me ask you this: Have you ever pulled aside a dear Christian friend and said, “You know, in the midst of that trial you’ve just gone through, I just want to tell you that your faith has been an encouragement to me.  I’ve been watching you; I’ve seen how you trusted in the Lord through this whole thing”?  Are you able to give those kinds of spiritual compliments to friends?  Do you have an eye to look for it and do you have a heart to encourage in those spiritual ways?  Elizabeth saw this young woman, very young indeed, facing a tremendous task; and she stopped and she said, ‘Mary I just want to tell you that your faith in God and in what He has promised in His word is inspirational to me.  And may you be blessed by God for the faith that you have shown.’ She saw that young woman with that seed of strong faith and she paused to encourage her.  And that’s what Christian fellowship is designed to do: it’s designed to strengthen us, to comfort us in the full sense of that word, to encourage us for the work to which we’ve been called.  Christians should be heartened by and encourage one another in faith.   

III. The focus of Christian fellowship
    Notice also the focus of this fellowship, the focus of Christian fellowship.  The focus of Christian conversation is upon Christ Himself.  And you see it in this passage.  In verse 43, Elizabeth speaks about “her Lord”; in verses 41 and 44, even John the Baptist in his mother’s womb leaps for joy because of the presence of his Lord.  Are we moved by thoughts of our Lord?  Do we frequently meditate on Him?  Elizabeth and Mary, their whole conversation was shaped around and focused upon the person of Christ.  And Christians ought frequently to meditate on the person of Christ.  You all have a thousand things on your mind, even at this late time on Christmas Eve.  You’re wondering if all the stores will be closed at six o’clock because some of you have forgotten to get important things for important people.  And there are many other thoughts cluttering our minds.  Don’t let the most important thing be supplanted by less important things.  Let’s make sure, not only in the hours to come and the days to come that the focus of our fellowship and conversation is the person of Christ, but let’s make sure that that’s always the case, that we’re able to naturally talk and weave into the fabric of our conversation thought and word about the Lord Jesus Christ.   

One of the most wonderful memories I have from childhood is sitting around the dinner table with my family on Sunday afternoon and talking for two or three hours.  And we’d talk about the sermon, and we’d talked about theology, and we’d talked about everything else under the sun. We’d laugh ‘til our sides split and sometimes we cried, but we sat around that table and we talked with one another.  And one of the things that I remember about that most, with fondness, is the way that we were able to weave as a family spiritual conversation into mundane conversation.  We didn’t walk away thinking that we were really spiritual people because we had talked about spiritual things.  It wasn’t someway that we thought we were earning merit or favor with God.  It was just naturally talking about the things that were the most important things in life.  That’s a real gift but it’s also a real responsibility.  All of us ought to have the goal that our fellowship these holidays and ever after are not only cordial and friendly and neighborly but are distinctively Christian.  May God bless you with Christian fellowship this Christmas.  Let’s pray.   

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for the example of Elizabeth and Mary.  May we fellowship like Christians now and forevermore.  We ask it in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Now let’s sing to God’s praise, if you’ll take your hymnals out, we’ll close our service with number 211, ‘God Rest You Mary Gentlemen’.  (ßhard to understand)

Let’s stand as we sing…