On the one hand, there is a great openness and cordial spirit among some people. Perfect strangers may strike up a conversation in a check out line.
People seem more willing to help others.
And there is certainly a much greater awareness of the needs of the people around us who are not as well off as we are. But on the other hand it is also easy to become indifferent to the people around us. Some consider every other shopper their mortal enemy. Some view every person in line at the checkout counter as if they are standing there for the express purpose of annoying and delaying them. This morning we are going to look at the story of Mary's relative Elizabeth and see if we can learn some things that will move us more toward the former approach to the season rather than the later.