Tag Archives: Mary the mother of Jesus

Mary’s Strength

Pentecost

May 31, 2020

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-57

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’

And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home. –Luke 1:46-57

This is a beautiful poem of justice. I wonder how old Mary was when she wrote it. It is placed in the scripture at the beginning of the story after Mary learned from an angel that she was pregnant and fled to visit her relative, Elizabeth. Was it composed during the three months with Elizabeth after Mary had digested what had transpired?  It reflects that she was enabled to turn what could easily have been considered a disaster into a vision of hope for not only her future but the future of the world.

Serving God, doing justice requires constant and consistent preparation for what lies ahead. We do not run into fire without the proper equipment and knowledge in dealing with it. People who do justice do confront it in the best way possible, and they do need respite to look back to see God’s work in their work and adjust their position to God’s in the examination.

John Dominic Crossan notes in his work that the Roman siege of Sepphoris located a few miles from Nazareth occurred about the time Jesus was born. Some suggest that Mary may have been born in Sepphoris. Surviving dangerous times requires hope and faith. While pictures often illustrate Mary as placid and innocent, my guess is that by the time Jesus was born, she was strong as steel, reinforced by God’s love. She is one from whom we should learn.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to do your justice in our world today. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

His Mother’s Son

the annunciationAdvent
December 20, 2014

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38

And [Gabriel] came to [Mary] and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.— Luke 1:28-32

 The older I get the more I find myself saying, “I am my mother’s daughter.” My mother was a committed egalitarian. She did indeed live her life to the best of her ability within the belief that all [people] are equal in intrinsic worth and are entitled to equal access to the rights and privileges of their society.* I guess the season of Advent brings that trait out in me as I am reminded of my mother’s legacy in the giving of gifts.

I do not believe that Jesus was created with a preprogramed personality that could not be changed by anything as he marched wearing blinders toward Golgotha. It appears more likely to me that the opposite holds more truth. He seemed to take in everything and process it through the filters of God’s love. I wonder what parts of his being he would select when he said, “After all, I am my mother’s son.”

It is a bit fanciful, but I have wondered how many women God called to be the mother of the chosen one, before he found the one young woman who said, “Yes”. It took a special person to accept such a role. The willingness of that person to act in spite of the shame and sacrifices she might face was of upmost importance for she would be raising a son who would be called to face shame and the greatest sacrifice of all.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the clarity to process all of our life experiences through the filters of your love so that we might each do our part in continuing your ministry here on earth. Amen.

* http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Egalitarianism

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.