In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
– Luke 1: 39-45
***
How can this be?
We are oppressed.
We have been oppressed for as long as I can remember.
For as long as my parents can remember.
We are the chosen people, yes,
and we hold on to that in our hearts,
in our families,
in our meeting places,
but this truth is not visible to an outsider.
I know I am beloved among my people –
we are all beloved to each other.
We cling to one another,
adrift in this world not of our making,
not of our choosing.
We gather to recite the promises,
the commandments,
the prayers.
We are a faithful people.
I have been raised to trust the Holy One,
but this new call,
for myself alone –
how can this be?
Here am I.
I have heard the call.
I have been startled and confused.
I have asked my questions.
I have made my decision.
Here am I.
Despite what I see in the village,
despite what I hear in the streets,
despite my own private doubts,
I believe in the promises
made to my ancestors.
I believe in the sayings of the prophets,
revered and despised in their time.
I believe in the goodness of the Almighty,
in the steadfast love which endures forever.
Here am I.
Here am I.
Let it be with me
according to your word.
Lindy Thompson 