Mary, Mother of Jesus
Can her role be overstated?
Happy 9th day of Christmas!
Luke 1:26-56 | Acts 1:12-14
Many Protestants are quick to decry the level at which their Roman Catholic brothers and sisters place Mary. Anything short of God himself can be overplayed, overstated, and overemphasized.
But…the gospels (and here, Acts) do not overstate Mary’s role and person. It’s one thing to note her as the mother of Jesus. That, in and of itself, is an amazing phenomenon. If you haven’t pondered her role as the mother of the son of God enough yet this season, go ahead and take a minute to do so.
But do not miss her person! Her character - a willingness to take on an absolutely ridiculous call to give birth to the Messiah is second-to-none. (Seriously…what would you say if an angel appeared and said something similar to you?)
And then there’s her song. What a powerful testimony to the role Jesus would soon play.
Mary is present with the eleven remaining disciples in the beginning of Acts, the only named individual besides those apostles. We will go on to read portions of Acts in which Luke writes in the first person, clearly present for the given events. But we can continue to imagine Mary being one of those who filled him in on earlier happenings.
Luke 1:26-56
When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.”
Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.
Acts 1:12-14
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James, Alphaeus’ son; Simon the zealot; and Judas, James’ son— all were united in their devotion to prayer, along with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Prayer1
God,
Humble us Mary-like before the cross of your Son, our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, so that through the Spirit we may be joined in the one body, the Church, thus becoming your one mighty prayer for the world.
Gracious God, whose grace terrorizes and sustains us, we pray for courage as we begin this course. Invade our lives, robbing us of fear and envy so we might begin to trust one another and in the process discover a bit of the truth.
In this serious business grant us the joy and humor that comes from your presence.
And for your sake, save us from being dull.
Amen.
Adapted from Stanley Hauerwas out of Prayers Plainly Spoken.