Appreciating Mary
Thursday
– the first week of Advent
Today’s Reading: Luke 1:39-56
In reading through the interactions between Mary and her
older cousin Elizabeth, following Mary’s visitation from the angel Gabriel, I
was struck with a multitude of questions and thoughts about the special young
girl who was called upon to give birth to our Savior. It is obvious that this get together of the
two relatives was planned and anointed by the Lord. From the moment they met and Mary opened her
mouth in greeting, the power of the Holy Ghost fell upon them both.
As the baby leaped within Elizabeth’s womb, she spoke out
the words that filled her heart and in a matter of a few sentences confirmed,
comforted and solidified the recent life changing set of events that
had been thrust upon her niece. It was
important for the young girl to be with someone who understood exactly what she
must have been going through with her thoughts and emotions.
Mary was overcome with thanksgiving and joy with Elizabeth’s
God given encouragement and immediately began to utter praises for the goodness
of her heavenly Father. One of her
initial statements after thanking Him for finding favor with her was to
announce that “From now on, all people
will call me blessed.” (Luke
1:48 God’s Word ©) This proclamation was not one that was driven
by personal pride in her unique calling but done in awe of God’s greater
plan. John Darby’s Synopsis of the Bible
states that: “The marvelous intervention
of God humbled her instead of lifting her up.
She saw God in that which had taken place, and not herself… God has too
large a place in her thoughts in this matter to leave any room for
self-importance.”
So, while this statement was not spoken for personal gain, it sent me off on a rabbit trail of thoughts concerning how modern day Christians appreciate Mary in her role in God’s plan for our salvation. Having been raised as an active and devout Catholic, who joined a Baptist Church after getting married and then moved on into the Pentecostal camp, I have personally seen all spectrums of the church’s attitude toward her.
A comment I
recently read concerning Mary from a book on Baptist Theology by James Leo
Garrett mentions another work entitled “The
Mother of Jesus: Her Problems and Her Glory” by AT Robertson and reveals
that “The Louisville scholar delineated
the life of Mary from the Gospels, partly because the Roman Catholics have
‘deified’ her and protestants ‘have neglected her.’” This statement written
in the 1920’s seems to accurately sum up the place of Mary in our understanding
of the Gospel. It’s very ambiguous to
say the least. It is clear that she was special and unique in God’s eyes and
held a very important position in the fulfillment of His plan.
Mary continued on her with her song by magnifying the works
of His goodness toward His people in the land of Israel throughout the previous
generations. Mary had no thought of
herself, but poured on the praise and honor to God. Following this, our story relates that she
remained with Elizabeth for about three months.
While I have no scripture to justify my thoughts, I can only imagine the
joy and enthusiasm that must have filled their hearts as they sat down with a
cup of hot tea and talked and hugged each other throughout the wee hours of
that first night together. When they
finally parted, I am assured that they were both filled up with Holy Spirit,
confident and ready to face the daunting tasks that were set before them.
As you prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s birth this
year, I would also encourage you to meditate on our daily scriptures that tell
the story of this world changing event that occurred in that tiny village in
Israel a few thousand years ago.
Consider Mary and her importance in your celebration. Think about her role, her devotion to God,
and to her obedience to His calling on her life. Just maybe you’ll find some things to pattern
your own life after. Then as she did,
lift up your voice and sing out your praises to our Almighty God and allow His
goodness and His faithfulness to saturate you in preparation for the upcoming
holiday, as well as for the New Year ahead!
Have a great day. Stay in tune to
His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What are my thoughts on Mary... during this Holiday Season?”
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