One of the more striking and yet glorious wrinkles of the Christmas story occurs in the Judean countryside far away from the gold doors, the ornate costumes, and the roasting meats of the Jewish temple. In her home under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth bursts forth into praise declaring, “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me (Lk 1:42)?” Then a few moments later, Mary the mother of Jesus a sings out, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant (Lk 1:46-47). In recording the first songs of Christmas, Luke reveals that mothers and motherhood are not secondary to but rather an essential component of the salvation narrative.
Faithfulness at Home
Though Catholics misconstrue the scene at Elizabeth’s house to be confirmation of Mary’s inexplicable sinlessness, the Greek text clearly denotes the opposite. In other words, God does not redeem only those who have attained some holiness on their own prior to salvation. Rather, the father saves and utilizes the humble, the worthless, and the broken. Mary was not inherently worthy of the honor given to her by God. What makes Mary worthy of praise is her faith. After rejoicing in God’s gracious and unmerited selection of Mary, Elizabeth notes,“blessed is she who believed. (Lk 1:45).” Mary not only heard the words of God, she acted on them and went to see Elizabeth. Similarly, when one of Jesus’s followers sought to magnify Mary’s physical connection to the Messiah, Jesus redirected the praise away from the passivity of Mary’s womb to one’s faith, declaring, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it (Lk 11:28)!” In other words, Mary is worthy of our praise not because she was sinless but because God chose her in her humility, and she was faithful to God’s word. And because of her faith and the faith of Elizabeth in the home, God was glorified, and Scripture was made.
Though many Christians equate spiritual greatness with what happens outside the home on stages, social media platforms, and podcast channels, God never ties his power and glory to human success. He just as assuredly works through a mom counseling her friend while her two-year-old decorates his face with applesauce as he does through the women’s conference speaker talking to a 10,000-seat auditorium. What matters is not the size and location of one’s ministry but one’s faithfulness in that ministry…one’s consistency in listening to and obeying the word of God. Because Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, initially disbelieved the message of the Lord and became mute while Elizabeth and Mary believed the testimony of the angel, these homemakers knew far more about the plans of God than those worshiping at the temple. In other words, the Christmas story reveals that our God is just as assuredly with the faithful and yet exhausted mother (and by extension the faithful and yet bedbound brother and the faithful and yet unvisited grandmother) as he is with the faithful and well-known conference speaker. God works through the temple and the home.
Final Encouragements
Dear sisters, when you are tempted to embrace the lie that your work in the home is a waste of your energy and gifting because the days are hard, trying, and exhausting, remember the testimony of Elizabeth and Mary. Your faithfulness to care for your children, to love your husband, and to care for your neighbors this Christmas season glorifies the Lord. Your faithfulness is not worthless or ancillary but rather essential to the advancement of the gospel. Press on for the glory of God!
And dear husbands, pastors, and elders, we should never lose sight of what God is accomplishing through the faithful witness of godly women in the home. We should cherish and praise our sisters as they faithfully raise the next generation, encourage the hurting, and tend to the needy. Like Paul in 1 Timothy 2:15, we should recognize that God brings about the salvation of sinners through the creation of and caring for children in the home. And we should not forget that the Holy Spirit is just as present with our moms (and anyone living faithfully at home) as he is with any pastor and speaker faithfully taking to the stage. This is not to say that we should redefine pastoral ministry or the role of the husband in marriage. Rather, we affirm that the Holy Spirit advance this gospel through both men and women. Just like the authors of Scripture, men should realize that that Holy Spirit can and does gift moms insights that can encourage, instruct, and bless the church. In short, we should see our faithful sisters this advent season as Christ sees them.
The witness of the Christmas story is clear: God is glorified by faithful moms!
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