Advent Calendar 2008

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Day Twenty Five: 24th December

24th December

Luke 1

In those days, Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,

40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

42 and exclaimed with a loud cry,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

44 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.

see Rob's sermon for the 18th December and what he says there about fragility and vulnerability.
The Song of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord:
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

Who has looked with favour on his lowly servant:
from this day all generations will call me blessed.

The Almighty has done great things for me:
and holy is his name.

God has mercy on those who fear him:
from generation to generation

The Lord has shown strength with his arm:
and scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones:
and lifting up the lowly.

God has filled the hungry with good things:
and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel:
to remember the promise of mercy,

The promise made to our forebears:
to Abraham and his children forever.