Walk with Jesus: Holy Week 2020-Monday

This week, I'll be posting a study: Walk with Jesus: Holy Week 2020. You can download the entire study, or just visit this page every day. (If you download the pdf, you should be able to print it 2 pages to a sheet (8.5 x 11) if you set it to landscape.)
We'll journey through Israel, pausing to read and reflect at various events of His life and ministry. These events took place at specific locations, so you’ll learn a bit about Israel in 30AD, too. There are questions to inspire you to meditate on your response to Jesus’ ministry and how that may be different this year due to self-isolation and social distancing. After completing the daily study, take time to reflect and journal on the questions. If you are doing this study with friends, share you insights with each other. Each session has an activity to do as well to help you move faith into action.
Close each session with the prayer in the lesson.

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, walk with me and open my heart to what you would have me learn from these lessons. Amen.

Awareness of Christ (Monday): Nazareth & Cana

Before we can follow our call, we have to be aware of it ourselves. Before we can follow Jesus, we have to be aware of him in our life. Awareness is when we become conscious, responsive, and recognize something or someone as important. It’s how we become aware of God’s love and our own calling. Our senses are the way we are aware of the world around us. 

Try these Awareness Exercises

· Visual awareness: try to remember everything in one of your kitchen drawers.

· Sensory awareness: feel different textures in a box, try to tell what they are.

· Audio awareness: identify a song or instrument from the first few notes.

· Taste awareness: take a bite, slowly chew and savor the taste.

· Scent awareness: inhale deeply. What do you smell?

· Overall awareness: with eyes closed describe another person.

There are different ways of being aware of things. In this Lent of self-isolation, we have become aware of our interconnectedness in new ways. We learn to be aware of our Lord by reading the Bible, studying, worshipping. People in Jesus’ time gradually became aware that there was a new and powerful teacher among them. None were aware of how this rabbi wiould change everything. It all started in Galilee.

The hill country in the northern part of Galilee is where the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, walked with their flocks. Rome conquered the area in 63BCE. Hated Roman soldiers and Herod Antipas’ guards marched along the roads. Herod was the tetrarch, an honorary title granted by the Emperor, but the real power was with Rome. Jesus’ preaching ministry started among these hills.

Read Matthew 4:23-5:12

Jesus says that those who gain God’s favor are the poor in spirit, the grieving, and the meek. Can you find the blessing in need, sorrow, or troubles of your life?

We are also called to mercy, peace, and purity. What can you do to cultivate these traits in yourself and in those around you?

Nazareth overlooked prosperous farming land. A wide variety of nationalities traveled from the Great Sea to Jerusalem or the Sea of Galilee along the trade routes just down the hill from the town. Some lucky people rode the route on camels, donkeys or horses but most walked from place to place. Large numbers of workers from many nations settled here, creating a diverse community. Grain and many fruit crops such as pomegranates, grapes, figs and olives flourished in the sheltered climate of the area. These were sold locally and traded as far away as the seacoast and the capital. Houses were made of limestone covered with mud brick.

Nazareth is the town where Jesus grew up and learned the carpenter’s trade from his father, Joseph. However, when he returned to Nazareth he was not welcomed. Instead, the people are offended by his claims and try to throw him from the cliffs.

Read Luke 4:16-30

Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth. Why do you think his teaching was rejected by his neighbors?

How can we ‘preach good news to the poor...liberty to captives...proclaim the year of the Lord’, esp. during social distancing?

A half-day’s walk north of Nazareth (10 miles) is the town of Cana. This farming village, known for its rich grapevines is comfortably situated in the Jezreel Valley at the foot of the Galilean hills. Grapes, raisins and wine are exported to surrounding areas and as far away as Jerusalem. Jesus performed the first miracle in Cana—changing water into wine.

Read John 2:1-11

Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. How can we bring Jesus into the everyday events of our lives?

Mary believed that her son would help the couple. Do you have the same trust that God will provide for your needs?

How aware are you of Christ in your life and ministry in stressful times?

Taking Action:

Pray the News-as you read the headlines in your favorite news feed or newspaper, take time to hold the issues, the men and women involved, to God.

Is there something you can take action to change or to help?

Pray Today:

Jesus, Lover of the poor and meek, help me to be aware of your presence in all aspects of my life and to be open to sharing the good news with all I meet, trusting that you will provide the words and the opportunity to witness to you. Amen.

Prayer for Monday of Holy Week (BCP)

Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other that the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Epiphany: Pray

In this Epiphany series we are looking at the disciplines of the Episcopal Church’s Way of Love, as part of the Jesus Movement. This is “an intentional commitment to a set of practices. It's a commitment to follow Jesus: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest.” In Advent, we followed the Advent curriculum, modified into weekly planner pages. Since January 6, we’ve looked at the practices of ‘Go’, ‘Learn’, ‘Bless’. Last week we considered how Jesus joined in the Worship of his community when he returned to Nazareth.

Today, we continue in that same chapter (Luke 4:21-30), as Jesus elaborates on his announcement that Isaiah 61 had ‘been fulfilled in your hearing’. At first, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” Then, he acknowledges that it is difficult to be accepted by those who think they know you. He says, “’Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown.’”

Then he goes on to remind the people of Nazareth of prophetic responses to two Gentiles who Pray and are blessed by God. He states, “there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah…yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.” (1 Kings 17:8-24) Jesus notes that the leper cleansed by Elisha was ‘Naaman the Syrian.’ (2 Kings 5:1-19)

Is it that this young man that they all know as ‘Joseph’s son’ is claiming to be like Elijah and Elisha, revered prophets from Israel’s past? Or is it that he says that God cares for Gentiles just as much as the chosen Hebrew ‘children of God’? For whatever reason, “When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.”

Nazareth is built up the side of a hill, as seen in this Byzantine mosaic from the Chora Church in Constantinople. The attempt to ‘hurl him off the cliff’ is not an empty threat. However, he ‘he passed through the midst of them and went on his way’. In the hubbub of the mob scene, Jesus simply walks away. No fighting back, or engaging in further arguments, Jesus simply leaves.

Perhaps it was that he was grounding in prayer that enabled Jesus to face such conflict without the need to become part of it. Perhaps it was that he had just faced down Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13) through the power of prayer.

When we Pray, we too can respond differently to the challenges in our lives. We don’t feel the need to control the outcome or make it come out 'our way'. When we ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’, as the song Whata Friend we Have in Jesus advises, we can face the 'trials and temptations...trouble anywhere." The song proclaims, "We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer."

We don't have to pretend to be 'perfect'. As Lisa Leonard notes on Ann Voskamp’s blog from earlier this week, “Perfection is a lie. It demands more and more, never offering a moment’s rest. Perfect is never satisfied." She admits, "I kept reaching further and further, thinking I was almost there, but perfection was always just out of reach. No matter how hard I tried, I could not be perfect. I can’t always be happy. I am not perfect; I am just me. I’m learning I have to let go of perfection to have joy. I am learning I have to show up and speak up and be honest—no matter how messy.” 

I have a friend whose favorite saying when things get crazy is, "Show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and don't get attached to the results." That's what happens when we Pray and turn problems over to God. We can be honest, and not think we have to control the end result. 

When we Pray God sees the real person. God knows we are not perfect. We don’t have to, and can’t, pretend with God. We can, as Leonard, and my friend both encourage: show up, be truthful and honest—'no matter how messy’, and let God take care of the result. 

When we are connected to God in prayer, we know we are loved no matter what happens, or what we do. In fact, we don’t even have to ‘do’ anything except ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’. The song reminds us “O what peace we often forfeit,/ O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry/ Everything to God in prayer.”

Jesus was connected to God in prayer. It gave him strength and peace and confidence. When we Pray and connect to God, we discover, ‘Jesus knows our every weakness…In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,/ Thou wilt find a solace there.’

Jesus told the people of Nazareth that God responds to all prayer requests no matter who they come from. That made him very unpopular, but it tells us that God does hear our prayers! Later in the same Gospel (Luke 18:1), Jesus “told his disciples a parable [about the insistent widow and reluctant judge] to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” We can find courage in that story and in Jesus’ own life of prayer.

Are there things you need to Pray about, or let God take care of?

Can you let go of perfection and control in order to ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’?

How can you be more honest with God in your prayer life?

Epiphany: Worship

This week in our Epiphany series we come to the discipline of Worship. Over the pat 3 weeks, we’ve looked at the Way of Love practices of Learn, Go, and Bless. Worship is another core component of any life of faith. It can take many forms, too. 

Worship is a time of drawing near to God, whether it is in a grand Cathedral, or a tiny prayer gathering. The communal act of worship joins us with others and with God who promises “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)

We know Jesus took time to Worship. In the lesson this Sunday from the Gospel of Luke (4:14-21) we learn that Jesus “returned to Galilee…When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Jesus went to the synagogue in the town where he grew up to worship. It was just a regular Sabbath service, nothing special. As is the right of any adult Jewish man, he was invited to read the scripture. He had likely done this many times before. He ’unrolled the scroll” and read Isaiah 61. As customary, following the reading, he could give an interpretation or sermon on the lesson. Jesus amazed everyone by stating, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

It's a pretty radical claim for the carpenter's son! In next week’s lesson (and on this blog), you’ll discover that the men in the synagogue didn’t like this statement. They renounced him and attempted to literally throw him out of town.

When we claim our God-given gifts we may not find them welcomed by the home town crowd. There can be too much familiarity to see the new person we have become. The addict who is now clean, the paroled criminal, the mother turned entrepreneur, the hometown kid who makes it big--each of these has an uphill battle when they return home. People have a hard time seeing past ‘little Suzie with the pigtails’ to the sports star or successful business owner she has become. The people of Nazareth had the same problem when Jesus claimed to be fulfilment of one of the scriptures pointing to Messiah.

It can be difficult to claim, or even recognize, who we are in God. Worship is one way to help figure that out. In a community at worship, we can find encouragement and discernment. The worship of a group helps put life in perspective as we come before God with awe and wonder. Worship helps us put God back in the center. Worship moves me to the proper position of child of God, not CEO of the universe.

At the end of our time of worship, ideally, we find ourselves feeling more capable. As the D365 meditation on January 22 says, we are to: “Go, a disciple, called and sent. Go, a disciple, equipped for justice. Go, a disciple blessed in the strong name of God: one holy and undivided Trinity. Amen.” 

The same meditation begins with a quote from the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. He states, “Vocation is, you could say, what’s left when all the games have stopped. It’s that elusive residue that we are here to discover, and to help one another discover. (Rowan Williams in A Ray of Darkness: Sermons and Reflections (1995))

It is in and through and during worship--in and through and during dedicated time with God, that we can help one another discern vocation. In worship, we can begin to look past our differences and how ‘little Suzie’ might have changed to acknowledge and support one another on our faith journeys.

Jesus used the context of a worship service to announce his vocation, his calling. The people were amazed. As we grow in God, people may be amazed at the changes in us.

Do you find yourself strengthened as you worship?

How do you respond to Rowan Williams' definition of vocation?

Can you help someone discern their vocation, or can your worship community help you discern your own?  

Prayer of course is part of worship, and we will look at the Way of Love call to pray next week. 

Advent Journey to Bethlehem: What to Pack

Today is the first day of the Season of Advent, a time of preparation for the coming of the Christ Child. It is a time of new beginnings, because it is the Church’s New Year. Advent is a time to pause, if only briefly, amid all the secular preparations and be amazed that the Holy God loves us so much that God became incarnate (was made human) to reconcile us to relationship.

This Advent, I invite you to come with Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem and explore what parallels there could be to our own Advent journey.

We know the story of Mary and Joseph’s travels from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

The Gospel account is pretty sparse in details. What did everyone think when they heard of the census? I can guess that there was a lot of grumbling and likely even some cursing about the government wanting to count the conquered people. Very likely there was a prayer for Messiah to come. The Messiah as envisioned by the people would overthrow Rome and restore Israel, as had happened under the Maccabees a couple centuries earlier.

On an individual level, though, there was preparation. Because you had to return to your family home, Luke tells us, “Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.” There were many routes the family could have taken, and we’ll look at that next week. This week, we are looking at the preparations for the journey.

What do you do when you are getting ready for a trip? Are you one who plans out every detail and packs what is needed for rain or shine? Or are you more laid back and just toss in a few changes of clothing and underwear and hope for the best on the adventure?

Let’s think about what Mary and Joseph might have packed for a journey of about 100 miles (about 10 days). They had the additional planning for the likelihood of her child being born while they were away from Nazareth. We don’t know if they needed to arrange for someone to care for any animals they might have owned. Possibly they owned a sheep or 2 or a goat for milk. They might have had a dog around the house and a cat in the wood shop to keep down the mice. These weren’t the pampered pets we now have. They would have been much more self-sufficient, especially the cat.

Tradition says that they owned a donkey and that Mary rode that animal at least part of the way to Bethlehem. A donkey can carry about 100 pounds for a distance. If Mary rode, there wasn’t much opportunity to pile the packs on the animal, too, so Joseph would have needed to carry their supplies himself. An average man can carry 50-60 pounds, so the couple would need to keep that in mind as they packed. Let’s imagine that they could only take as much as can be put in a suitcase without paying extra weight charges at the airport.

For the trip, they needed something to keep them clothed. It is likely that they didn’t own very many changes of clothes, so it was not as onerous a task as it is when we decide to pack for a trip. Perhaps a clean tunic and a heavy outer robe that would also serve as a blanket would be all the extra items needed.

Perhaps they carried along mats of some sort to sleep on at night, so they wouldn’t have to lay directly on the ground. Maybe Joseph even included the supplies for some kind of small tent to protect Mary from the nightly elements.

Food for the trip was a necessity as there were not convenient McDonald’s along the route to grab a snack. Nor were there handy WalMarts to stop at to pick up supplies left behind. They could shop or trade in village markets when they passed through, if they had the coins or items to barter with.

Joseph probably took at least a few of his tools so that he might earn some money or food by doing odd jobs along the way.

The couple would have taken some swaddling cloths and blankets for the soon-to-arrive baby. However, they wouldn’t have been laden with all the paraphernalia and gadgets that we think are essential for infants.

What do their preparations for the trip tell us about our preparations for this Advent journey?

What kind of clothing do we need for our journey through Advent? Do we need food or shelter? Are their tools we might need or special items that we should take along?

Isaiah 61:10 tells us what kind of clothing God has prepared for us. “…He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” That’s pretty fancy clothing for a trip. However, this isn’t just any trip. We are going to meet the King of Kings, our Bridegroom, the Son of the Living God! We don’t have to worry about what to wear because God’s love already has us covered.

What about tools? Let’s look at Ephesians 6:13-17 for some things we can add to our outfit and carry as tools. “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Our journey may be to the Wedding Banquet, but it is not always an easy trek. Therefore, we need to be prepared with truth, righteousness, and peace. Most of all we have the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit for protection.

Do we need to pack food for our Advent journey? Food is a huge part of the secular celebrations of the season. What spiritual food should we pack? In Isaiah 25:6 we hear, “The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.” Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” (John 6:51) And of course, we have the Eucharist to feed us as instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper.

In Exodus, the Israelites complained that they didn’t have food, and God sent manna for them. It was a food they simply had to gather and consume. We are offered a similar feast on our Advent journey. God will provide the food we need for the journey, if we are open to accepting it. If we take time to be on this journey, we will find that we are fed, and clothed, and led.

Do you have ideas of other things you would pack for this Advent journey with Mary and Joseph? 

Next time, we’ll consider the actual road trip that Mary and Joseph embarked on. 

Awareness of Christ

This week starts a new series to take us through Lent. It is based on a study I'm doing at the Cathedral. Over the next 7 weeks or so we'll look at various towns, people, and aspects of Christ's life and ministry on his way to Jerusalem.

What is awareness, or being aware? It is becoming conscious of, responsive to, and recognize something or someone as important. We also become aware of God’s love and our own calling. So did Jesus. Before we go further, I suggest you take time to sit quietly and consider how aware you are of things around you right now. The light in the room, the sounds you hear, what you smell or taste, are you touching something or feeling deep emotion. At the class this week, we took time to sit and study this photo of one of the Cathedral windows. Each person was aware of different things in the window picture.

How aware are you on a daily basis of what is going on around you and within you? How aware are you of Christ in your life and ministry?

Christ grew up in Galilee, the northernmost part of what once was the Kingdom of Israel. The country was now under Roman control and Galilee itself was considered somewhat of a 'dirt water' town (to use a favorite expression of my mother). It was out in the boonies and the residents were not all Jews. Many Gentiles had settled there as traders and merchants. The area was nominally under the rule of Herod Antipas, but the real power was Rome. Trade routes to Syria, Jerusalem, and the Jordan River valley passed through Galilee. The local crops of grain and fruit were sold locally, and traded even as far away as Jerusalem.

It was this provincial area that first became aware of the new rabbi, Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth. The residents of Nazareth, however, were not very receptive to the idea that the carpenter's son was claiming to be the one who would fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah. Read Luke 4:16-30 for their reaction.

It was Jesus' mother who actually encouraged his first act of ministry. The family was invited to a wedding in Cana, about 10 miles north of Nazareth. (Some scholars think the wedding was for a relative of Jesus, but the Bible doesn't say that.) Known for its grapes and wine, this small town was also in Galilee. Sometimes it takes the urging of someone else to push us into our ministry or calling. Mary did that for her son by telling him the bride and groom had run out of wine. (John 2:1-11) This was a social faux pas of the highest degree, but at first Jesus refuses to act. His mother's faith in him, however, made him give in. He felt compassion for the embarrassment of the couple and turned over 120 gallons of water into wine.

In the class discussion this week, someone noted that some Bible commentators equate this miracle with the Last Supper and with Holy Communion. In each of these acts of ministry and worship, wine is shared in community and we are transformed into new 'wine'. I think that is an interesting thought to contemplate.  The picture of the Cana window at Canterbury Cathedral does almost look like a rendition of the Last Supper until you notice the servant filling the water bottles at the bottom.
Each week I'll leave you with a few questions to ponder.

Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth. How can we ‘preach good news to the poor...liberty to captives...proclaim the year of the Lord”?

Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. How can we bring Jesus into the everyday events of our lives?

I ask again, How aware are you of Christ in your life and ministry?

Advent I--Here am I, November 29

As an author, it sometimes helps me understand the men and women of the Bible when I write about them. Throughout these Advent meditations, I will be sharing my ‘version’ of Mary’s thoughts about her Journey to Bethlehem, in the form of an interview between Mary and Luke. Scholars think that he probably did interview Mary as the source for the woman’s view in his Gospel. There are many insights in the Gospel of Luke that could only have come from a first person recollection. One of them is the Annunciation scene. (Luke 1:26-38) Mary lived in Nazareth, in the northern part of Israel. Below is a photo of the town.

LUKE: Mary, can you tell me what happened when you first learned that you would be mother of Messiah?

MARY: The day started out like any other. I remember going to the well in the morning. I walked with my friends Rachel and Tamar. They wanted to ask me about my upcoming wedding. They were amazed, as was most of Nazareth, when Joseph bar Heli asked my father if we could be betrothed. I don’t think anyone in Nazareth thought he would ever get married. (giggles)

LUKE: Did you know Joseph well?

MARY: (shakes her head) Not very well. He was older, of course. Nearly every girl marries a man older than she is. We talked about the wedding, even though it wasn’t going to happen for almost a year. Rachel asked me if I would be embroidering a new headdress. Tamar was more interested in the food preparation. She was already a good baker like her mother.

LUKE: Then what happened?

MARY: We went back to our homes. I finished my chores. (pauses and stares off toward the hills near Nazareth) The paths in those hills are my friends. I walked there whenever I could be spared from cooking or weaving.

LUKE: You went for a walk in the hills?

MARY: In the silence and the whisper of the leaves God feels very close to me. I never really feel that I am alone. It may sound strange, but I feel like God holds my hand when I am walking there. That day…(sighs and smiles dreamily) It was spring and the leaves were just budding. Everything seemed to shimmer in the light of the setting sun. I did think that it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had seen. A few clouds on the horizon made the sky turn to rose. Have you ever seen the sunlight radiating up from behind clouds?

LUKE: Yes.

MARY: It was like that. Only the light from the clouds didn’t just go up into the sky it seemed to reach out and embrace me. I stood still and breathed in the beauty. Then, oh then, the light grew even brighter. I knew God was very near and I fell to my knees.

LUKE: How did you know God was there?

MARY: (with a smile) I just knew. I felt warm, like the sunset was hugging me. In my heart I heard a tender greeting. “Favored one! The Lord is with you!” I think I nodded because there was no doubt that God was right there.

LUKE: What did you think?

MARY: (shakes her head) There was nothing to think about. I was lost in the wonder of the nearness of God. Then I heard, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

LUKE: You heard a prophecy of Messiah.

MARY: It is what every girl in Israel dreams of, without ever thinking that it will happen to her. We all want to be the mother of Messiah who will usher in God’s new reign. Even though my house and Joseph’s are of the line of David, we had never talked about the prophecy being fulfilled by our children. Really, we hardly talked to each other after the betrothal ceremony. He was busy building a house for us.

LUKE: What did you think when you heard the promise?

MARY: I said the first words that came to my mind. They were a whisper of confusion, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Joseph and I were not to be married for months.

LUKE: Did you think the angel was foretelling what would happen after you were married?

MARY: No, I knew that God’s word was immediate and the next thing I heard confirmed it. (pauses) It was almost too much to believe. “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” I think I held up a hand in denial and fear, because a moment later I felt a comforting warmth and the declaration of something almost more astonishing. “Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has conceived a son. This is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

LUKE: Why did it matter that Elizabeth was having a son?

MARY: (smiles) It was proof from God that what I heard was true and real. The Holy One gave me something tangible to confirm the Promise. My mind was spinning and my heart was pounding.

LUKE: Did you doubt the angel?

MARY: Hearing of Elizabeth’s pregnancy made me realize that what I heard in my heart was true and from God. It was not something I imagined. I knew that I had to go visit Elizabeth. I knew she was pregnant just as I knew that the Message was true. I would bear Messiah.

LUKE: It must have been hard to grasp.

MARY: In a way it was strange, but I had no fear. I heard myself say, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be as you have said.” Later I thought about all the reasons that my response was rash, but even then I was not afraid. God’s love held me secure. It was dark when I returned home. Mother asked me what happened. “You are late,” she scolded me. I was surprised she didn’t see anything different about me. I knew I would never be the same and that my life was changed forever.

There are many artistic representations of this scene. From ancient icons to modern interpretations, we most often see Mary confronted by an angel, who usually looms over her. In some art the holds up a hand as if to say, “please stop.” However, Mary was simply a young girl, like any other in Nazareth and Israel.

Scholars postulate that Mary was likely just a young teen, probably 13 or 14 years old when she had this encounter. It takes a special person, of any age, to respond to such a vibrant call from God, esp. one that will change her life dramatically. Mary had a deep faith that would allow her to hear the angelic messenger and to respond with submission to God.

The Bible has many instances of others who encountered God and argued much more volubly against their call. Moses, for one, begs God to “send someone else.” Jonah tries to run away from God’s call. Elijah has to be reassured by the “still small voice” that he is not alone. Mary, on the other hand, expresses astonishment that she could conceive, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (vs. 34), but does not argue or present all the reasons that she cannot be mother to the One “called the Son of God.”

Mary of the Annunciation is a woman of strong faith, despite her age. She knows that the refrain of the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness is correct. “Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!" Without hesitation she believes when the angel says, “nothing will be impossible with God,” and responds, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (vs. 38)

What does her submission to the call of God have to teach us as we begin our Advent journey this year?
Is Mary’s strength and faith an inspiration for you?
Can we be as trusting as Mary, so that we can say, “Great is Thy faithfulness” no matter what we are called to do?

We can respond to any challenge or opportunity when we understand that God provides all we need, no matter what we are called to do or where we are in our journey. Let the refrain to the hymn be your prayer this week as you listen to what God is saying to your heart and mind.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Next week we will hear Mary tell how she informed Joseph of her news.

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