Tag Archives: Mary

Just call me Martha

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I imagine she was excited.  Hosting people was something she was quite good at, in fact took pride in.  Friends and family often remarked at her skill in cooking and making guests feel welcome.  Sure, it was a lot of work and took plenty of time preparing, cleaning, toiling away but it was worth it and besides, she’d usually assign her sister to some of the work.

Mary didn’t seem to share Martha’s “passion” for keeping a clean house and preparing delicious meals.  More than once Martha had to snap her fingers to wake Mary from a daydream so she’d get back to her tasks.  There were times she needed help and had to even leave the house to seek Mary out, finding her outside in the garden or sitting beneath a tree looking up at the blue sky.  It wasn’t that Mary was unwilling to help.  It’s just that Martha seemed to have more a little more drive.  She was a go-getter, a “doer.”

Life had taken an unusually happy turn when they met Jesus from Nazareth.  He and his friends joined them around their table more than once to enjoy Mary and Martha’s hospitality and to talk with their brother, Lazarus.  They became good friends.  Jesus seemed to enjoy having a home where he could stop in at times,  Continue reading →

Who’s your Elizabeth?

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When Mary accepted the task given her by God and realized she was indeed pregnant, she hastily decided to make a trip to see her cousin Elizabeth.  She heard, as crazy as it sounded and improbable as it was, that Elizabeth herself was expecting a child!  Maybe part of the reason for her trip was to see if that impossible news was actually true.   If it was true, maybe that would help her accept that what was happening inside of her wasn’t just a dream or her imagination.  She had to also be thinking that getting away for a little while was a good idea.  It would give her time to figure out how she was going to break the news to Joseph.  Perhaps she and Elizabeth had a close relationship, so she felt comfortable choosing that home for her get away.

No sooner had she walked into the house but Elizabeth stood to her feet, Continue reading →

What now?

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It seems we have many opportunities every day to ask this question.   We’re faced with an opportunity, a challenge, a risk, a leap of faith, an open door and we must ask ourselves…what now?  What will I do with what’s been given to me?  We make these decisions all day long every day, sometimes without really thinking about it.  It could be something trivial like discovering there is no more coffee when you go to the kitchen in the morning.  What now?  Have a hissy fit or make some tea?  It may be something a little more weighty like hearing about a friend who is ill and has a young family to take care of.  What now?  Go take them some food and babysit their kids, or think to yourself “someone else will help them”?  What if your decision affects lots of other people?  That adds even more weight still.   I think of some well-known leaders in history who made decisions that affected entire countries like Martin Luther King, Jr. who knew the hostilities that flared up when racial equality was championed.  As a passion to help bring about change rose up in him he had to ask himself, “What now?”  He decided to face hatred, risk injury or worse, and brave fierce opposition because the outcome he dreamed of was worth the cost.

Jesus said we should count the cost before we decide to follow Him.  He also said He could guarantee there would be trouble along the way.  It costs to follow Him and live for Him, but it’s worth every bead of sweat, every tear, every desperate prayer, every effort to keep walking forward in faith.  Along the way there are times when we see more of Him and it blows us away.  It spurs us on, energizes and impels us.  Those glimpses of his power, love and glory restore us and bring healing.  When that happens we ask ourselves, “what now?”  Do I tell someone else about this? Continue reading →

Lean In

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Lean in for a hug, or even a kiss.  Lean in to smell something delicious.  Lean in to hear something more clearly.  Lean in to be part of the group and see what’s happening.  Lean in to the huddle to hear the next play.  Lean in and over your baby’s bed to watch them peacefully sleeping.  Lean in to just be near someone.

Sometimes instead we lean out…maybe because something or someone smells bad.  Lean out because you feel rejected or your opinion isn’t respected.  Lean out because something or someone has hurt you and you want to back away.  Lean out because leaning in is taking too much effort.  Lean out because you’re afraid to be too close.  Lean out because the uncertainty of what’s next is too nerve-wracking and leaning out seems easier.

My sister shared wise words with me a long time ago from a book she read about marriage: always lean into your spouse, no matter what was happening.  Lean into each other and into God.  That image has been tucked away in my heart and mind ever since and has helped me many times.

John and I have mostly been leaning in toward each other throughout our marriage.  There have been moments, of course, when we forget or our pride gets in the way and we back off out of feeling offended or stubborn or any other childish attitude overtakes us for a little while.  There is always this ache inside of me, however, to be on the same page with him again and to be close.    I picture us standing toe to toe, facing one another, holding both of eachother’s hands.  How much easier to stand when we’re both leaning in and holding each other.  I don’t like the feeling of either one of us leaning out and away from each other or letting go of one or both hands.  It throws us off kilter and takes a little more effort to lean back in and become close again.  It causes us to feel more alone.  This morning we leaned in again, closer to one another and closer to God…straining to hear His voice, to understand each other’s perspective, to vent and process.  It always makes our relationship better, even if leaning in hurts at first or is a little scary because you’re not sure how the other will react or respond.  When we lean in, we’re stronger and less susceptible to being taken down by an enemy.

As I think about Mary and Joseph and the first part of the Christmas story we’re all so familiar with, I think of how Joseph had to make a choice to lean out or lean in Continue reading →

Speaking words of wisdom, “let it be”

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I’ve had Mary on my mind these last few days.  I’m following the Christmas story as told in pieces on twitter and facebook by some ministries in England who collaborated on a project called “The Natwivity.” They are posting short, 1-2 sentence thoughts from different characters in the story, giving lots of fresh perspective with a modern feel and “ponder fodder” as I like to call thought-provoking things.  If Joseph and Mary would tweet, what would they say?  It may seem silly, but it has moved me a few times already.  Sure, culture is different here than it was in those days in Nazareth, but people are people and I’m sure teens still had the same emotional reactions and deep questions about things that they do today.  (The latest tweet from Mary this morning:  “Don’t think I can do this. Hands are still shaking. Want to see Joseph so bad but can’t tell him. That’ll be the end of us…”)

What was it really like for Mary?  To start off, how would it be to suddenly be face to face with an ANGEL?  That in itself would be enough to try to absorb for a few months in my opinion.  Not only did she receive a message from an angel unexpectedly standing in her very own room, the message he had for her was life-changing in the truest sense of those words.

Did she have time to think about all the possible ramifications of saying “yes” to this most holy invitation?  Continue reading →

Highly favored and greatly troubled

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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…”   Luke 1:28-30 NIV

Did you notice that when the angel told Mary she was highly favored by God and that God was with her, she was troubled?   I’m trying to imagine what Mary felt when Gabriel revealed the plan God had to involve her in His most loving, amazing, saving act for all of humankind.  Shock?  Disbelief?  Bewilderment?  Fear?  Gabriel told her not to be afraid but being human, and knowing Mary was human, I know that fear comes anyway in moments like that, in times when we’re faced with something so utterly mind-blowing we can’t comprehend it.  However she felt, she yielded to God and said to the angel, “I’m the Lord’s servant.  Let it be as you’ve said.”  Pretty mature for a young teenager! Continue reading →

My Soul Magnifies the Lord

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I have been listening to Chris Tomlin’s Christmas album from last year the last few mornings as I drive to work.  It has lifted my heart and drawn me close to God in praise.  It seems whenever I hear Chris lead worship, especially live recordings, I am ushered right into God’s embrace.  He is gifted and humble and I’m thankful for him and his ministry.

Anyway, this morning one song really stuck out to me and resonated in my heart.  “My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord…He has done great things for me, great things for me!” Those words of Mary’s spontaneous outpouring of wonder and gratefulness when she learned of how God planned to include her in the greatest event of all time became a cry of my own heart as I really listened to them and thought about them.  God HAS done great things for me, for us, for everyone.  When I’m caught up in awe and thankfulness, my soul responds like I imagine Mary’s must have.

What does it mean to magnify?  Continue reading →

Whose dream are you hoping for?

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Joseph had probably been planning and dreaming for a few years. Now the dream was beginning to materialize: Mary was his betrothed!  He had been working and saving to provide a home for her to come to – to join him and make a family, to have children and love life together.  He couldn’t keep from smiling just at the thought of it all.  She was due back from her visit with her cousin Elizabeth today. He put away his tools and cleaned up from his project, hurried out the door and down the street. As he shielded his eyes from the desert sun, he could see the caravan slowly approaching, wispy dust clouds hovering around the camels’ feet. His heartbeat quickened.  He could make out her pretty face now, her petite form as she dismounted and walked toward him.  Continue reading →