It鈥檚 Christmas. Again.

We, who have been around the block more times than we care to admit, can be forgiven for lacking the giddy excitement of our grandchildren. Christians among us know the routines. And Jesus鈥� birth narratives? Haven鈥檛 we heard it all?

Remember Mary鈥檚 delightful visit to Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-45? Elizabeth is old and frail, and a shadow of the young, vibrant Mary. She is too old to become pregnant; Mary too young for motherhood. Yet here they are: Mary is carrying Jesus, and Elizabeth鈥檚 womb is swelling with John who eventually prepares the way for Jesus.

The elderly (1:7, 18, 36) Elizabeth had prayed for years to become a mother, all to no avail, and suffered disgrace as a result (1:25). She may have felt God鈥檚 grace had passed her by. Not that she was an outcast; being married to a priest and a descendant of Aaron afforded her social respectability. Still, there was an emptiness deep inside.

Mary, like most young Jewish women of her day, hoped she would one day become a mother, though she expected that it would happen in an acceptable and respectable way, not as a young virgin.

Both women had reasonable expectations for motherhood. The problem was that God interrupted their expectations with a timing all His own. For Elizabeth, God鈥檚 timing came too late; for Mary, it came too soon.

Both Mary and Elizabeth demonstrate that hope has a sacred trajectory. God has a habit of interrupting our lives in His own time. Let鈥檚 face it, has our own faith journey been what we expected or hoped for? Has God not interrupted us with His own plans and His own timing?

As soon as Mary realizes she is pregnant, she does not go to her fianc茅 Joseph or her parents. Luke says that Mary 鈥渉urried鈥� (1:39) to see Elizabeth whose life was divinely interrupted just like hers. And when Mary arrives, Elizabeth鈥檚 child leaps in her womb 鈥� not once, but twice (1:41, 44). As they celebrate the arrival of Jesus the Messiah, these two expectant women form the earliest Christian community. Isn鈥檛 that how all Christian communities begin 鈥� people celebrating together their own stories of God鈥檚 sacred interruptions?

This Christmas will 鈥� again 鈥� be unlike others in our past when life was 鈥渘ormal.鈥� We grieve the disruption of not being able to celebrate Christ鈥檚 coming with family and friends. Yet let us prepare for Christmas by allowing the Holy Spirit to interrupt us, so that we leap for joy deep within and embrace a salvation greater than we can ever imagine.

Rev. Wout Brouwer, retired minister, 91原创

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鈥� READ MORE: Wout Brouwer is also a keen photographer

鈥� READ MORE: 91原创 church creates interactive nativity

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