Come all ye hopeless and all ye faithful
Lying in a manger is the King of Kings
Inside every heart is longing
For a thrill of hope

– Excerpt from “King of Kings” by // Brandon Heath

Luke 1:39-45 gives us the beautifully intimate encounter of Elizabeth and Mary, and at once John the Baptist and Jesus. What a thrill of hope Elizabeth had when she first encounters Mary.

God ordained this meeting. Take note that, before John the Baptist becomes the “Preparer of the Way”, his mother is the very first person to proclaim the Messiah – The Way.

Elizabeth’s child leaps within her at first connection with Mary carrying the Christ child, the Savior of the world. While in the comfort of their mothers’ wombs, there is an awareness beyond human understanding of how important this meeting, this connection, is.

There is a thrill of hope.

As you yourself encounter Jesus this Christmas, may a thrill of hope overwhelm you and bring deeper meaning to each day.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

– Luke 1:39-45 NLT

• To hear the full version of “King of Kings” by Brandon Heath – https://open.spotify.com/track/0s2mjr40f3vF2XnA02DAId?si=tS0k9UeUSw6uYPIW1bakxw