“And with a great cry Elizabeth sang out, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’”  Luke 1

“This night, Ebeneezer, you will be visited by three spirits.”  Jacob Marley in “A Christmas Carol”

“Hello cousin Eddie . . . Cousin Eddie?”  Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

Hosting and Hospitality.  They go together like peas and carrots, especially at Christmas.  Who is hosting you?  Or who will you be hosting?

Imagine if someone showed up unannounced at your house, an uninvited guest, maybe a long-lost relative, like cousin Eddie, or perhaps a stranger that wandered in from the street, or a spirit sent to scare you out of your selfishness and into The Real Spirit.

That’s what happened with Elizabeth, in the account found in the Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-45.  Granted, it wasn’t Christmas—there was no such holiday at that time.  And the time of year was most likely March instead of December.  Nonetheless Elizabeth was graced by three visitors.

The first and most obvious was her relative Mary.  They may have been distant cousins, or its possible that Elizabeth was her kinswoman.  We really don’t know.  What is certain is that Mary hadn’t sent word that she was making the three-day trek, probably on foot, to visit Elizabeth.  Elizabeth responds to Mary not with a cool, “What are you doing here?” kind of attitude.   But with a warm, heartfelt, and Spirit-filled welcome.

That was the other unexpected visitor to Elizabeth: The Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit that came upon her suddenly, without any preparation or expectation, and caused her baby, John, to leap in her womb.  The result was that Elizabeth sang out a blessing.  It is a blessing unique to Mary, one which has been prayed throughout the ages. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

That is the third of the visitors, Jesus.  He is barely formed in the womb of Mary.  He is hidden, disguised if you will.  And yet both John and Elizabeth are aware of His presence.  Isn’t that the way it is for us as well?  We can’t see a fully formed man Jesus.  But The Holy Spirit has revealed him to us in a hidden form.  This is especially true at Christmas, when Immanuel comes to be with us through the working of the Spirit.  Jesus comes to us hidden as gifts of heaven like joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and humility.  Jesus comes disguised in the lights that shine in the darkness of this world.  Jesus comes to us unexpectedly in other people, whether relatives or strangers, who appear to us suddenly and unexpectedly.  If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we will experience encounters with the divine.  The challenge for us is to welcome him into our inner being, our womb if you will, as well.  That is what the last verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” speaks of—for the Christ to be born in us today.

The unexpected and uninvited guests that The Spirit of God in Christmas sends to us are very different from the ones that Ebeneezer Scrooge received.  God’s Spirit—the true Spirit of Christmas– fills us with love, not fear.  It causes us to look back on our lives with gratitude, not regrets.  It shows us a present which, though filled with suffering, can be rectified by us through small acts of kindness.  And it reveals a future that leads us ultimately not to the grave, but to the glories of eternity. 

I pray that The Spirit of God so present and active in Christmas will gift you with unexpected guests now and always.