December 21, 2003; The Fourth Sunday of Advent Readings: Micah 5:2-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-56; Psalm 80:1-7.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith What Do You See? To look at them, you might not have noticed. You might not have noticed that something amazing was happening. Mary and Elizabeth looked like any two relatives visiting with each other. Elizabeth was farther along with her pregnancy and Mary goes to her. Mary goes to visit, and then three months later returns home. This is what women have always done and still do. And, yet, when this story was told, Luke made sure to emphasize the miraculous. The movement of the baby in Elizabeth’s womb indicated the importance of Mary’s visit. The baby leaped for joy. Then we are told that the Holy Spirit enabled Elizabeth to realize that Mary was to be the mother of the Lord. To the casual observer, they were simply two women spending time together before the birth of their children. Offering each other support—a predictable and ordinary event. At the same time, it was an amazing experience for Mary and Elizabeth. Their experience of that time, and of each other, was saturated with a sense of God’s deep involvement in their lives. Elizabeth identifies Mary as being "Blessed among women." Elizabeth experiences the blessing of Mary’s presence. Mary then says, "My soul magnifies the Lord..." These two ordinary women, doing an ordinary thing, were having an extraordinary experience of God—of God’s grace. That’s how it works, isn’t it? Can you think of a time when you had a sense of God being involved in your life? Chances are that you were doing an ordinary thing. The miraculous happens right in the middle of the mundane. So much of life is miraculous. We can become so accustom to our circumstances that we can miss it. Ultimately, it is all a matter of perspective. I see miracles in medicines. I see miracles in friendship. I see miracles in people coming together to worship God. Where do you see miracles? On a news program the other night, there was a piece about a sighting of the Virgin Mary. There have been many sightings, some of which have been deemed authentic by the Roman Catholic church. This one happened at a hospital in Massachusetts. The figure of the Virgin appeared in the window of a hospital this past June. Over 25,000 people came to see the image. Now, the maintenance staff of the hospital was quick to point out that the image was the result of chemicals from the window seal seeping down between two plates of glass. "Just a chemical reaction. Nothing to see here. You can go home." They were having a major traffic problem. Miracles can really mess up your parking lot. OK, granted, that doesn’t sound like a glorious way for God to enter into our lives. Still, how else would God do it? What do we expect from God anyway? I am reminded of Naaman’s story found in 2 Kings 5:1-15. Naaman, a powerful military leader, asks the prophet Elisha to cure his leprosy. Naaman believes that God will work through Elisha in some amazing way. Naaman’s expectations of God were about to be challenged. Elisha instructed him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. But that can’t be right Naaman says. That’s too easy. I’m a man of authority, he states, Elisha should come and make a big show of healing me. "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!" Note Naaman’s reaction: he was so angry that his expectations are not being met that he walked away. A miracle was offered, but it was not what Naaman had expected. It was hard for him to accept that God could work through something so ordinary. Was that image of the Virgin Mary a miracle? Thousands came out to pray at the site. I imagine that many went away feeling strengthened and cared for by Mary. That sounds like a miracle to me. What is a miracle supposed to look like? At this time of year, people wonder about the significance of the Christian faith. Could it be true? Are there angels? Are there miracles? Could God really care that much for us to come into the world as an infant? During the Christmas season, some will come to church for the first time in a year. We can hope that they will. We can pray that when they come here, or to another church, they will be open to the Spirit. The expectations that they bring will play a role—just as our expectations of church play a big part in what we get out of church. Sometimes we are all a bit like Naaman, we are expecting the amazing event to signal God’s presence. This day, our relationships, may seem ordinary, but below the surface extraordinary things can happen. Few knew that Mary and Elizabeth would be talked about thousands of years later. Mary knew. Elizabeth knew. Mary exclaims, "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in the remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever." In the middle of the ordinary, the person of faith proclaims the Good News of God’s salvation. We do it through our actions and our words. We do it every time we welcome a new person to our fellowship. During this holy time, the extraordinary may seem to come closer. And that’s a good thing. May the blessing of this week, enliven our faith and enable us to welcome all in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.