Sunday, December 22 Traditions worship service.
Immediately after Mary’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel and the announcement that she will bear a child who will be named Jesus and will be called the son of God, Luke tells us Mary “went with haste” to the Judean hillside to the home of Zachariah and Elizabeth. It was a journey of at least 70 miles, 100 miles when avoiding Samaria. It appears she traveled on foot and alone. Elizabeth greets Mary with blessings of welcome and joy, when other family members would have rejected Mary because of her circumstances. They spend a whole trimester together and we learn much about friendship and hospitality from Elizabeth and Mary.
Luke 1:39-45, 46-56