Is it a burden or a blessing? It all depends on how you look at it. For Mary, the angel’s news that she was to bear a son had to have initially been terrifying. She was just a teenager. On top of that she was unmarried. The punishment for such behavior was stoning. It didn’t sound like good news but Mary’s visit with Elizabeth helped Mary to see things differently. Suddenly what sounded like a burden became a tremendous blessing. Mary moved from fear and resistance to surrender. What about us? How do we understand the call of God to serve? Do we see invitations to ministry and mission as burdens or as blessings? Do we run from a chance to serve or do we leap at it with joy? Maybe we need to take a clue from Mary and learn to leap at chances to serve rather than understand them as burden or hardship. May today’s lesson ( Luke 1:39-55) be like Mary’s visit with Elizabeth – an invitation to us to move from saying “I have to do this for God or the church” to “Wow! I get to do this! What a privilege!” Are you ready to start Leaping at the Chance?
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