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“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:41)

During Advent and Christmas we’re exploring the Good News of Christ’s birth in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel. It seemed like a good idea with so little good news reported during 2018. But as we turn our eyes to the birth of Jesus this month and remind ourselves again about what Christmas is really all about, we realise there is so much reason to give thanks and rejoice. We’ve read in this opening chapter of Luke about Mary’s visit to Judea and this extraordinary reaction from John in the womb. What was this reaction about? Was it the tone of Mary’s voice? Was it purely science, the natural order of pregnancy? Or did Elizabeth have indigestion? I don’t think so. Rather, John leaped in response to the presence of Jesus and Luke presents us with three matters of Good News in this account: 1. Jesus is the giver of joy (41,44); 2. Jesus is the giver of the Holy Spirit (41); and 3. Jesus is the fulfilment of Old Testament promise (46-55). May we know this Good News to be true and in our own lives this Advent and Christmas.