Holy Friendship and Hospitality: Elizabeth
Note: This week we will contemplate the journeys of the people who play key roles in the events leading up to the birth of Christ.
Luke 1: 39-45
If you are around any young people at all, you’ve probably heard them say. “6 7!” It is alive and well in our youth group and in our youth Sunday school class. The phrase doesn’t have a fixed meaning. It’s just a meme from TikTok video, and I think they use it to baffle us oldsters. One Sunday during Sunday School one of the youth exclaimed, “6 7!” I probably rolled my eyes, and then the sweetest thing happened. Another youth leaned over to me and asked if I knew what that was. I told him that I had heard. He told me he just wanted to make sure I knew what was going on. I’m not going to judge them since any Gen-X’er would probably giggle if someone blurted out, “I am Cornholio!” (Ask someone between 45-65 if you want to know.)
This scripture got me to thinking about our friendship groups. Are all your friends about your age or do you have intergenerational friendships? I am grateful that I have a very close-knit friendship group that ranges in age from 38 to 63. I’m right in the middle of that, and I am so grateful from what I’ve learned from both those older than I am and those younger than I am. The first thing scripture tells us that Mary did after the visitation from Gabriel was to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who was also experiencing her own miraculous pregnancy. I think Mary went to Elizabeth because she valued their kinship and friendship. She also valued the opinion of someone who was a little older.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child in her womb leapt for joy. Elizabeth, who was righteous in her own right, spoke words of affirmation and assurance to Mary and the path before her. She declared, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1: 42b, NRSVUE) In response Mary sings her song, The Magnificat, in which it is clear that she has embraced her role in salvation history. (See Luke 1: 46-55). After that, Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months.
This is the beauty of holy, intergenerational friendship. Elizabeth did not diminish Mary’s youth or calling; she affirmed it. Mary did not dismiss Elizabeth’s age or story; she honored it. Together they formed a time of mutual encouragement and fellowship for two people experiencing what others couldn’t even imagine. Those three months that Elizabeth opened her home and heart to Mary provided a space where God’s promises were named out loud and faith grew stronger simply because it was shared.
Their meeting reminds us that God often weaves God’s work through relationships that cross generations. The older carry wisdom, patience, and perspective; the younger bring fresh faith, courage, and expectancy. When these gifts meet, the Holy Spirit makes miraculous moves. One of the gifts of the church is that is affords us that same space where we can get out of our peer groups and experience the spiritual growth that comes from holy intergenerational friendships.
Rev. Dana Ezell
