The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth painting  by Philippe de Champaigne, 1643-1648

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth & Sharing Joy

Do you need more joy in your life? Today, Mary and Elizabeth will show you how to share and receive more joy. Join the podcast as we travel with Mary 90 miles to visit Elizabeth and experience their overflowing joy and delight. They truly show us the power of sharing joy as we drop in on the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.

Welcome to A JOY-Filled Advent Podcast #3, based on my book The Joy of Advent: Journey with the People, Events, and Prayers at the First Coming of Jesus Christ.  Previously, we read that God supernaturally begot His Son Jesus in the Virgin Mary and gave a child to an old woman, Elizabeth.  “For nothing is impossible with God!”

Advent JOY in the Hill Country

Today, we travel with Mary down the 90-mile road from Nazareth to the Hill Country of Judea, near Jerusalem.  Mary visits her old cousin Elizabeth. Both women are expecting, rejoicing over the births to come, and thrilled to see each other.  We will cover these exciting points:

The Visitation – Leaping for JOY (Luke 1: 39-45)

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• John the Baptist leaps for Joy
  
• Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaims words of JOY.
  
• Mary praises and skips with JOY.
  
• Jesus is always joy-filled—even in the womb!
  

The JOY of Sharing Fellowship – God Knows Our Need (Luke 1: 31-33)

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• Fellowship in the Scriptures is translated from New Testament Greek Koinonia, occurring 20 times in the New Testament.
  
• Elizabeth brought out Mary’s JOY, and Mary brought out Elizabeth’s JOY. True fellowship strengthens and encourages faith.
  
• The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb to Elizabeth as John leaps for joy.
  

The Magnificat – Mary’s Song of Praise (Luke 1: 46-56)

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• First, Magnificat was the first word in Luke 1: 46 found in St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible (4th-century common language of the people) and it means “my soul magnifies.”
  
• Second, Canticles are liturgical songs from a Biblical text.
  
• Third, Mary’s Song shows Mary’s love for Scripture. She knew the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) well.
  
• Finally, Mary’s Canticle reflects themes from many Old Testament Scriptures,  including the powerful arm of God, His mercy to all, His justice and faithfulness, and His care for the poor and afflicted (e.g., 1 Samuel 2:1-10 and Psalm 34:2, 35: 9, 103: 17, 107: 9, 132: 11, 138: 6).
  

 Three Months of Sharing Hearts

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• We can only imagine the comfort Mary and Elizabeth must have been to each other.
  
• For example, the two talked of the Scriptures to be fulfilled because they knew well the promises regarding the Messiah and the one who would precede Him.
  
• Also, lingering over the stories about Gabriel, both knew he changed their lives forever.
  

Advent Application

We can respond to these verses of JOY shared between Mary and Elizabeth by taking these actions:

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• 1) New JOY. Ask Jesus to open your heart to receive HIS new joy every day this Advent.
  
• 2) Rejoice in the Lord. Make it your goal to thank the Lord every day for all he has done for you and praise Him for his greatness. Remember, gratitude often precedes genuine joyfulness.
  
• 3) Quiet Prayer Time. Jesus is near to you, and He wants to be even nearer. Try to spend at least 5 minutes alone and in quiet with Jesus every day? You will notice the difference.
  
• 4) Share the Joy. Are you sharing your joys and encouraging others? Ask God, who needs your uplifting and strengthen the one who comes to mind.
  

God has JOY for YOU and wants to share His JOY through you.

Links

Six-Part Series ~ A Joyful Advent Journey

Part 1

Part 2

Cup of JOY & Free Materials

A Cup of Joy small group study accompanies each podcast series. All materials are FREE. Read more on hosting a CUP of JOY Women or Cup of JOY Gathering small group.

For bookmarks of prayer points from A Joy-filled Advent Podcast, go to: WRAPYourselfinJOY.com.

Check out more podcasts here!

Click here to find the book: The Joy of Advent: Journey with the People, Events and Prayers at the First Coming of Jesus Christ.

The post A Joyful Advent Journey #3 ~ The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth & Sharing Joy appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.