Luke 1:26-38 (selected)
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High…”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
The Christmas decorations at our house include several “crèches” – which is a fancy French word for “nativity scene.” Over the years we have somehow collected a half a dozen or so these miniature nativity scenes from different parts of the world. Some have come to us as gifts while others we have picked up during our travels to places like Africa and South America. These crèches are displayed in various locations in our home – each including the traditional figures of the story: Mary, Joseph, a few shepherds, the wise men, several animals and, of course, the baby Jesus.
Sometime between Christmas and the end of the first week of January we will take down and pack away all our seasonal decorations – including our nativity scenes – for another year.
As we move through “10 Minutes with God” this week – I want to invite you to imagine the process of packing up the characters of the great story – and thinking about them one last time before putting them back in the attic.
We begin today with the figure of Mary.
Mary, as we know, had her life interrupted – her whole world turned upside down - when the angel Gabriel informed her that she would soon be with child through the Holy Spirit, and that this child would be called the “Son of the Most High.” We struggle even to begin to comprehend the impact of such an experience on the mind and heart of a young woman who was probably still in her teens. One can only imagine that Mary had to feel fear, confusion, anxiety and maybe even anger at some point. And yet, even after all this, her response is full of grace:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
One of our nativity scenes is from Africa and is carved out of very dark wood of some kind. The Mary figure is kneeling with her hands folded in front of her as if in prayer.
Another of our sets is from Israel, carved out of a light colored wood. In this set the Mary figure is also kneeling but has both hands clasped over her heart.
As I look at these two tiny figures on my desk, I wonder what was going through this young woman’s heart and mind as she looked upon the child she had just delivered? Nine months have passed since Gabriel’s announcement. She and Joseph are married after all. Now she is a mother. She remembers the words of the angel, “He will be called the Son of God.” How does one go about mothering the Son of God? Perhaps the African artist who carved the Mary with the praying hands imagined that she was asking God to help her in this holy and unimaginable task.
But what about the Mary with hands clasped over her heart? I immediately think of what Luke tells us just a bit later in the story. When their baby boy was just 8 days old, Mary and Joseph took him to Jerusalem to be circumcised according to Jewish custom. While there a man named Simeon offered a prophetic blessing over the child.
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword shall pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2:35
What would Mary have made of these words? “And a sword shall pierce you own soul too?” Surely, every mother’s heart is “pierced” – in a sense – with a kind of fierce and immutable love for her child. But this is something more; something deeper; something more profound. We have no way of knowing if Mary fully understood Simeon’s prophecy about her child. But, from our vantage point, it is clear. Her baby boy will one day be “pierced by a sword” – he will be offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world – and she will grieve.
I look at Mary, with hands clasped over her heart as if to keep it from spilling out, and I wonder. Have I allowed this child and what he came to do for me to pierce my heart? Have I allowed him to have my heart; have I allowed his life to be born again in me so that I too can say, “May it be to me as you have said?”
Pastor Brian Coffey
The Christmas decorations at our house include several “crèches” – which is a fancy French word for “nativity scene.” Over the years we have somehow collected a half a dozen or so these miniature nativity scenes from different parts of the world. Some have come to us as gifts while others we have picked up during our travels to places like Africa and South America. These crèches are displayed in various locations in our home – each including the traditional figures of the story: Mary, Joseph, a few shepherds, the wise men, several animals and, of course, the baby Jesus.
Sometime between Christmas and the end of the first week of January we will take down and pack away all our seasonal decorations – including our nativity scenes – for another year.
As we move through “10 Minutes with God” this week – I want to invite you to imagine the process of packing up the characters of the great story – and thinking about them one last time before putting them back in the attic.
We begin today with the figure of Mary.
Mary, as we know, had her life interrupted – her whole world turned upside down - when the angel Gabriel informed her that she would soon be with child through the Holy Spirit, and that this child would be called the “Son of the Most High.” We struggle even to begin to comprehend the impact of such an experience on the mind and heart of a young woman who was probably still in her teens. One can only imagine that Mary had to feel fear, confusion, anxiety and maybe even anger at some point. And yet, even after all this, her response is full of grace:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
One of our nativity scenes is from Africa and is carved out of very dark wood of some kind. The Mary figure is kneeling with her hands folded in front of her as if in prayer.
Another of our sets is from Israel, carved out of a light colored wood. In this set the Mary figure is also kneeling but has both hands clasped over her heart.
As I look at these two tiny figures on my desk, I wonder what was going through this young woman’s heart and mind as she looked upon the child she had just delivered? Nine months have passed since Gabriel’s announcement. She and Joseph are married after all. Now she is a mother. She remembers the words of the angel, “He will be called the Son of God.” How does one go about mothering the Son of God? Perhaps the African artist who carved the Mary with the praying hands imagined that she was asking God to help her in this holy and unimaginable task.
But what about the Mary with hands clasped over her heart? I immediately think of what Luke tells us just a bit later in the story. When their baby boy was just 8 days old, Mary and Joseph took him to Jerusalem to be circumcised according to Jewish custom. While there a man named Simeon offered a prophetic blessing over the child.
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword shall pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2:35
What would Mary have made of these words? “And a sword shall pierce you own soul too?” Surely, every mother’s heart is “pierced” – in a sense – with a kind of fierce and immutable love for her child. But this is something more; something deeper; something more profound. We have no way of knowing if Mary fully understood Simeon’s prophecy about her child. But, from our vantage point, it is clear. Her baby boy will one day be “pierced by a sword” – he will be offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world – and she will grieve.
I look at Mary, with hands clasped over her heart as if to keep it from spilling out, and I wonder. Have I allowed this child and what he came to do for me to pierce my heart? Have I allowed him to have my heart; have I allowed his life to be born again in me so that I too can say, “May it be to me as you have said?”
Pastor Brian Coffey
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