Tag Archives: preparedness

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.

Advent
December 11, 2018

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
   he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
   you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
   do not let your hands grow weak. –Zephaniah 3:15-16

An interesting sequence of statements appears in the above scripture:

Judgment is taken away>>>>>>fear disaster no more>>>>>>do not let your hands grow weak

What is this chain of thought saying? I think we can all appreciate not being judged for something about which we could, perhaps should, be judged. Does that statement indicate forgiveness?

There is an app on my phone from one of the local TV stations that sends out emergency weather alerts. Living in tornado alley develops a healthy respect for the storms and I appreciate having a loud and persuasive warning if a tornado is approaching. I must confess, I did not like having it awaken me recently at 3:00 am on a Wednesday morning to tell me that a winter storm warning was issued beginning at 6:00 am Friday particularly when the winter storm did not materialize. Being overcautious can result in ignoring the danger we may face or overactive fear. Prudent warning about disaster leaves no time for fear, only for action.

That leads us to keep our hands strong. Being prepared in general for whatever eventuality might come along is wise. I do think we need to work at good physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. This scripture seems to say even though we are freed from judgment, disasters can still happen, and we have a responsibility to address them to the best of our abilities with the Lord’s help.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your forgiveness, for freeing us from fear, and for the ability to work together as your servants in making this a better world. 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.