When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41 NIV
A Leaping Baby
Being a New Year’s baby is more than just a fun fact to share at parties. While every New Year’s baby is special, some unique perks apply only to those who earn the title of being the very first baby born at a particular hospital, town, or country. These perks range from prizes and recognition to quirky local traditions. While this New Year’s tradition has become rarer in recent years, it is still around—you just need to know where to look and do a little digging in your hometown.
***
Jesus isn’t the only baby involved in the Advent story. The Bible not only promised the Messiah, but one who would come preceding Him, preparing the way for Him. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, past her childbearing age, becomes pregnant. The baby she gave birth to would grow up to be John – we call him the Baptizer. And in the story of Mary coming to visit Elizabeth, we are brought into one of the most precious moments in this Advent story. We read about it in Luke 1:41: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” There is a great mystery to the development of a baby in a mother’s womb. From the moment of conception, God begins His amazing work of development of the unborn child. And something incredible happens when Mary arrives – both women expecting, both babies yet unborn. Elizabeth feels her baby leap in her womb. Even before he was born, John recognized that the baby in Mary was the Promised One – the one he would later introduce as greater, far greater than he.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley