Welcome back. If you've been joining me this week, you know we're taking a good look at the characters of Christmas ... hopefully from a new perspective. I don't know about you, but pretty much every single year I get to hear at least one sermon on Mary, one on Joseph, and one on the "others." This year, I felt like God challenged me to find things in this part of Scripture that I'd never realized before. I think Elizabeth is my favorite, actually ... and she's one I've often overlooked.
But what about Mary? What can I tell you that I haven't told you already?
Probably nothing. {Insert smile here ... cheesy smile, at that!}
But I can share with you what I think she might have felt like. Scholars age Mary at anywhere from 13 to as old as 17. But she is still well within that teenage range and that means she was just like every other teen God created. With hormones, heightened emotions, strong passions, waffling self esteem, hopes and girlish dreams, and big fears.
Ever wonder why 4 years in high school can shape a person's future? Why twenty years after graduation, people still get together and remember vividly what being a teen was like and how they viewed people? When we're teens, everything is more colorful and alive and important than at other times.
As if that's not hard enough to handle, Mary gets a visit from Gabriel in which she -a pure, innocent, virginal young lady on the cusp of womanhood- is told that not only is her entire life about to change, but that she stands to lose everything. Young women in Mary's day and age didn't just get pregnant and keep on going to school or walking around town, people applauding them for not having an abortion and telling them how cute babies are and how they can do it.
No, it was a little more reserved back then. Mary could face being stoned if Joseph wanted to expose her. She certainly faced a lifetime of spinsterhood; who would marry someone who gave their virginity away, after all? She faced a lifetime of shame, too. And the love of her life? Well, she was going to be lucky if he still married here with this news. And then ... and this may be total projecture, but I know it's how I'd feel ... then, she'd have to wonder Why me? I'm not good enough for this.
Or maybe Mary was more optimistic. Maybe she wondered if Joseph would be excited, too. Maybe she expected her parents to rejoice with the news that the Messiah would be their grandbaby and they would get to spoil God Himself when He was a toddler. Maybe she understood grace a little bit more than I do and knew God would equip her. Maybe.
But I'm thinking she was a little more realistic than that. Or at least more human. Surely there were doubts and fears, hopes and anticipation and mangled together in her heart.
What's that look like in my life? Well, it means that there are times God is going to come to me. Times when He is going to nudge me in a direction that not only seems impossible, but that look ludicrous. And He's going to give me two choices: (a.) turn and run or (b.) reply as Mary: "Let it be to me as you have said."
The moment of truth arrives when God speaks to us and shares His plan. Have you been there? Have you looked all around and thought that nothing good could come from this? Or have you ever known God had something great and awesome to do, but then shied away when He asked you to be a part of it?
And we are told that she treasured these things in her heart. How beautiful. She was obviously more mature than your average teen, more ready for intimacy with God than others of her day. And she went through scorn, rejection, disbelief and probably a whole spectrum of other emotions when she shared the news (why else would Joseph plan on divorcing her quietly?). And yet, she took all these things and treasured them. I don't think that just refers to His birth; I think it encompasses the entire story.
Mary got a lesson in treasure: it's not all good and shiny ... but it is all valuable. I challenge you today (and me!): be open. Be ready. Be available. Know that God knows your heart (fears and weaknesses, hopes and strengths) and when He calls you it may not line up with how you've planned on things going. But if He wants to use you to birth something special, He's already lined up every single detail. But YOU have to be the one to say okay. It's up to YOU to say LET IT BE TO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID.
But what about Mary? What can I tell you that I haven't told you already?
Probably nothing. {Insert smile here ... cheesy smile, at that!}
But I can share with you what I think she might have felt like. Scholars age Mary at anywhere from 13 to as old as 17. But she is still well within that teenage range and that means she was just like every other teen God created. With hormones, heightened emotions, strong passions, waffling self esteem, hopes and girlish dreams, and big fears.
Ever wonder why 4 years in high school can shape a person's future? Why twenty years after graduation, people still get together and remember vividly what being a teen was like and how they viewed people? When we're teens, everything is more colorful and alive and important than at other times.
As if that's not hard enough to handle, Mary gets a visit from Gabriel in which she -a pure, innocent, virginal young lady on the cusp of womanhood- is told that not only is her entire life about to change, but that she stands to lose everything. Young women in Mary's day and age didn't just get pregnant and keep on going to school or walking around town, people applauding them for not having an abortion and telling them how cute babies are and how they can do it.
No, it was a little more reserved back then. Mary could face being stoned if Joseph wanted to expose her. She certainly faced a lifetime of spinsterhood; who would marry someone who gave their virginity away, after all? She faced a lifetime of shame, too. And the love of her life? Well, she was going to be lucky if he still married here with this news. And then ... and this may be total projecture, but I know it's how I'd feel ... then, she'd have to wonder Why me? I'm not good enough for this.
Or maybe Mary was more optimistic. Maybe she wondered if Joseph would be excited, too. Maybe she expected her parents to rejoice with the news that the Messiah would be their grandbaby and they would get to spoil God Himself when He was a toddler. Maybe she understood grace a little bit more than I do and knew God would equip her. Maybe.
But I'm thinking she was a little more realistic than that. Or at least more human. Surely there were doubts and fears, hopes and anticipation and mangled together in her heart.
What's that look like in my life? Well, it means that there are times God is going to come to me. Times when He is going to nudge me in a direction that not only seems impossible, but that look ludicrous. And He's going to give me two choices: (a.) turn and run or (b.) reply as Mary: "Let it be to me as you have said."
The moment of truth arrives when God speaks to us and shares His plan. Have you been there? Have you looked all around and thought that nothing good could come from this? Or have you ever known God had something great and awesome to do, but then shied away when He asked you to be a part of it?
And we are told that she treasured these things in her heart. How beautiful. She was obviously more mature than your average teen, more ready for intimacy with God than others of her day. And she went through scorn, rejection, disbelief and probably a whole spectrum of other emotions when she shared the news (why else would Joseph plan on divorcing her quietly?). And yet, she took all these things and treasured them. I don't think that just refers to His birth; I think it encompasses the entire story.
Mary got a lesson in treasure: it's not all good and shiny ... but it is all valuable. I challenge you today (and me!): be open. Be ready. Be available. Know that God knows your heart (fears and weaknesses, hopes and strengths) and when He calls you it may not line up with how you've planned on things going. But if He wants to use you to birth something special, He's already lined up every single detail. But YOU have to be the one to say okay. It's up to YOU to say LET IT BE TO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID.
Please Join These Bloggers in
their 25 Days of Christmas Series:
25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon
25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah
25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey
25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him
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