Somersaults of Pure Joy - Elizabeth

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful
 of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
 holy is his name. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home Luke 1:39-49, 56

I was overjoyed when I heard that my young relative Mary was coming to stay.
She needs a safe place to be until all the fuss dies down.
Zech and I were the obvious choice
after all, we too are awaiting the birth of an unexpected child.
I could do with someone to have a good chat to,
Zechariah still can't speak,
and won't until after our baby is born.
Meanwhile we have become very profficient in communicating by signs, sighs and giggles.
I must admit, the news that we are to finally become parents
in our very old age,
was a huge shock.
Now I am getting used to the idea I treasure every moment.
Zechariah had good reason to doubt the angel.
But God's plan's are always perfect.
Zechariah's lack of speech certainly gave credibility to his story.
The Chief Priests would have insisted that he had made it all up,
but you cannot argue with someone who has lost the ability to talk.
Anyway, Mary and I had a lot to catch up on.

Mary has always held a special place in my heart
When she arrived, she rushed in, with arms wide open
to embrace me and my baby bump,
which was lovely.
Then something amazing happened.
For the first time I felt the child within me move,
I say move, but it was more like a somersault of pure joy.
What perfect timing!
Then I felt this warmth flow through my body
God silence Zechariah,
but to me he gave words of knowledge, understanding and praise.
As it hit me that I was in the presence of the woman
who was to bring God into the world as a baby.
The child within me gave another somersault of pure joy.
Mary responded with her own words of praise to God.

We just stood and held each other,
and marvelled that the babies within us
both had a unique role to play.
The child inside me,
who was to prepare the way,
was inches from the one he will prepare the way for
as part of God's amazing plan.
I felt like doing a somersault of pure joy!

The Calm after the Storm - Joseph

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:20b-23

A thousand thought raced round and round inside my head.
"Why has this happened?" I whispered,
"Why did Mary betray me?"

The events of yesterday bewilder me.
Yesterday morning I was content with life.
Working with my carpenter's tools,
making and mending items as required.
Waiting until the day when Mary and I were to complete our betrothal
and become man and wife.
"I wish yesterday had never happened." I said bitterly
A voice in my head reminded me
that yesterday was not when the problem happened.
The previous day was merely when I found out
that my plans were in tatters.
"And now I face a future without Mary for she has clearly chosen another."
Joseph lay down on his bed and wept,
for the future which had been snatched from him.


Eventually exhaustion took over and I fell into a deep sleep.
In my dream I say Mary standing before me.
Her growing stomach distorting the clothing she wore.
He face was radient with joy.
A deep voice spoke to me
Joseph, son of David.
I have chosen you to fulfill and difficult mission.
The words Mary spoke to you are true.
Incredible as it may seem,
the child she carries is not from some act of human will.
Instead the child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Take Mary home to be your wife.
I am trusting you to be my son's father here on earth.
When he is born, you should give him the name, Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.
All this is to fulfil the scriptures."

When I awoke, my tears were gone
and, despite everything, I felt such peace.
"What and amazing dream," I reminded myself,
"Everything is going to be OK.
Mary has not let me down.
Our betrothal still stands
Mary has not chosen another.
It is just as she said,
part of God's plan for mankind
and we have been called to play our part in bringing this plan to fullfillment.
I should have listened,
but I was so shocked by her news.
It is not going to be easy
tongues will wag, and some will shun us.
But with God on our side,
together we CAN do this.
We can raise God's Son,
just as he wishes us to
Now, the most important thing for me to do is to apologise to Mary.
I hope she will accept my apology.
Why am I worrying?
I know Mary.
I know she has already forgiven me.

A Second Angelic Assignment - Gabriel

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream Matthew 1:20a

"Gabriel, I want you to return to earth.
I have a second assignment for you."
"Yes, Lord."
"...and before you ask, no it isn't to anyone powerful or influential."
"To whom shall I be paying a visit this time, Lord?
"To a humble carpenter named Joseph, whose heart has been broken."
"Forgive me for asking, but isn't this a task for one of the cupids?"
"I can understand why you might think that.
This isn't just a broken romance
which can be healed by the arrow from a cupid's bow.
No, Joseph needs the awe of an archangel,
to understand the role I have for him.
Joseph is, or rather was betrothed to Mary,
and he soon will be again.
At the moment he thinks she has been unfaithful.
Joseph is a good man and wants to protect Mary's reputation as much as possible,
but he thinks she has prefers someone else.
Mary did try to explain that their child is the gift of the Holy Spirit,
but Joseph was not convinced.
He prefers to believe Mary has been hoodwinked.
I need you to go and set the record straight."
"So back to Bethlehem, then, Lord?"
"Absolutely right, and be gentle with him,
he has just cried himself to sleep,
and you are about to wake him up with news that will astound him
mend his broken heart,
and enable them to fast track the betrothal.
They have no time to waste,
things are starting to happen down there,
but this is as much as Joseph and Mary need to know right now.

Broken - Joseph

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:18-19

And just like that, ALL my hopes and plans for the future, were destroyed.
I was absolutely devastated.
I keep going over the past, searching for evidence that she was unhappy,
resentful even of the plans I was making.

I cannot remember not knowing Mary.
I feel as if she has been part of my life forever.
Our marriage was arranged when she was quite young,
with the understanding that she would become my wife in the fullness of time.
I thought she was happy with these arrangements.
But it appears I am mistaken.
Mary has not waited for our wedding
instead it appear that she has given herself to another and is to have a child.
There are so many questions racing around my head,
but of one thing I am completely certain of
is that the child Mary is carrying is not mine!

She came up with some fabulous story about an angel visiting her
and telling her that she was going to bear a child.
Wait for it, not by a 'normal conception'
but through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Well I am sorry, but it just doesn't work like that!

When she broke the news to me I was shocked.
Speechless, even.
And the part that I am really struggling to comprehend
is that she looked like she expected me to react as I did.
She was so calm and serene.
Not embarassed or ashamed, or even defiant.
I wanted to reach out and shake her!
whilst trying so hard not to cry.
Not wanting to make things worse than they already are.

Finally, I managed to get some coherent thoughs together.
I didn't want her to know how devastated I was.
So I expressed my concern for her.
"Mary, you do know they neighbours will be scandalised?
They will reject you!
Shame you!
Ostracise you!"
I didn't have the heart at this stage to point out that they may even kill her.

Infuriatingly, she didn't seem concerned for herself.
Instead she looked at me with such compassion, gentleness and grace.
Normally she keeps her gaze respectfully downwards,
like the gentle maiden I thought she was.
But today she looked straight into my eyes, with an unwavering gaze.
With eyes that seemed to have knowledge and wisdom way beyond my understanding,
that could see inside the depth of my being
where I had hidden all the hurt, confusion and disappointment.
"I know this is very difficult for you, Joseph," she said,
"but this is part of God's plan for all mankind."
I swallowed the words I wanted to speak,
words of hurt, disappointment and heartache.
I shook my head sadly and left.
This particular man was not having any part of these plans.

On reaching home I sat unmoving,
racking my brain for a solution.

Tomorrow I will go and make arangements to quietly cancel the betrothal.
and allow Mary to be free to move forward with the father of her child.
Leaving me with my shattered dreams and a future with no wife and no children.

"MARY, WHY?"

Extraordinary Interruption - Mary

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:27b-37


Another ordinary day
in the life of an ordinary person,
living in an ordinary town,
doing the ordinary things
to keep our family home tidy.

The bread is baked,
the stew slowly simmering,
the floor swept.
All is well in my ordinary world.

Then suddenly everything changed.
One moment I was alone,
the next I wasn't
and I really don't know how it happened

The door had not opened, yet this being stood before me.
"Greetings, you who are highly favoured."
It was a quaint turn of phrase, to be sure
I couldn't move.
I coun't speak.
Perhaps he has the wrong person and should have visited next door instead
"Do not be afraid, Mary."
Oh dear, I thought. It is me he is looking for.
Now if he had said
"Do not be afraid, Anna," I could have sent him on his way.
But no, it was "Do not be afraid, Mary."
and I knew the being really had come to see me.

It is hard not to be afraid, when something unexpected miraculously appears in your home.
He held my gaze, I couldn't look away.
And that was before he dropped the bombshell
God has chosen me, ordinary Mary,
betrothed to ordinary Joseph,
from ordinary Nazareth,
to give birth to His extraordinary Son.
and what is more, God has already chosen his name, Jesus.
Mindblowing!
I had a few questions...Like, how?
Joseph and I may be betrothed, but that is all!
As you may expect the being had an answer for that,

The Holy Spirit will make all this happen.
He even knew about Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy!
Just one problem, I now have to breeak that to Joe.
I notice the being left that to me!

Angelic Assignment - Gabriel

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27

"Gabiel, I have a task for you."
"Yes, Lord. What would you like me to do?
Sing a few verses of the hallelujah chorus?
Fly around and show everyone how marvellous the wings you created are?
Play a new concerto on the harp?"
"No, Gabriel. I want you to go to earth."
"Oh, excellent, Lord. A meeting with one of the big players in earthly politics, perhaps...?"
"Not quite. I want you take take a message to a young girl."
"A young girl, sir? That is a triffle, erm, irregular, if I may say so!"
"You may not say so, but as you have expressed your feelings I had better explain."
"Thank you, Lord."
"Mary is a young Jewish girl.
She is a good and faithful lass, kind and generous.
I have chosen her to be the mother of my Son,
who will be born on earth in human form."
"Born, as a vulnerable baby, sir?" spluttered Gabriel
"Yes, Gabriel. The authorities have convinced themsleves
that their Saviour will come to them as a swashbuckling warlord.
Goodness knows why!? I suppose it is because that is what they would do!"
"But your thoughts are not their thoughts, nor are your ways their ways..." observed Gabriel. "Exactly."
"Yes, Lord."
"Now, Gabriel, be very gentle with Mary.
This is going to come like a bolt from the blue.
She has no idea that this is going to happen.
As far as she is aware, she is an ordinary girl,
bethrothed to be married to a carpenter.
An older man, who needs a young wife to provide him with sons and daughters.
She has no idea how strong she is going to be.
This is not an easy task I am asking of her."
"What if she says no?" queried Gabriel.
"Oh, Gabriel! You still haven't fully grasped my omiscience, have you?"

Two will become Three - Elizabeth

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favour and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1 :23-25

Zechariah and Elizabeth - Liz and Zech.
The day that we got married was one of the happiest days of my life.
Oh the dreams we had.
We both wanted a lrage family,
sons to be taught scripture and a living
daughters to be taught to be capable wives and tender hearted to all.
Yet it was not to be.

After all these years of marriage it is still Zechariah and Elizabeth, Liz and Zech.
We have learnt to ignore the cruel whispers,
insinuating that we are bad people
as God has not blessed our marriage with children
and assuming that Zech is somehow lacking is his devotion to God,
despite being a priest
or that we have never consumated our marriage - which
a) is none of the business and
b) totally untrue.

I knew that something had happened when a silent husband returned from serving in the temple.
He had to write everything down - thank goodness I defied convention and learnt to read.
I would have hated to have heard his incredible story through an interpreter!

The news he brought blew my mind.
I was so shocked when he told me that we were going to have a son
at our age!
Forgive me, but I did wonder if he had taken a second wife
and not had the heart to tell me
But, actually, I knew that wasn't true,
there was no way certain gossips would have failed to bring that news to my attention!
Goodness knows, havent our lives been subject to enough scrutiny
and speculation
over the years?

And now, it will no longer be just Zechariah and Elizabeth - Liz and Zech,
instead it will be Zechariah, Elizabeth and John - J, Liz and Zech.

And so in my old age my body is still not my own,
they all want to see me,
eager to detect my extending stomach and breasts,
to reach out to see if they can feel my child.
But I have chosen to stay at home in seclusion
and marvel at the changes in my body I have wanted to experience for so long
and treasure each and every moment.