Via TJC
“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.” ~Luke 1:28, 30, 38
Mary often garners more or less reverence based on the faith tradition. Some traditions teach she is a saint. Some teach that she intercedes on our behalf directly to her son. Others teach she is to be worshiped, while others teach she can be ignored. The approach seems to turn on one question: was she chosen because she was special, or special because she was chosen? The purpose of this DBO is not to debate the doctrine. What we do know about Mary is, she was favored by God, and that makes her special.
Mary thought she was pretty “ordinary”, and maybe she was…She was young and came from humble beginnings, but she was resourceful and gritty, intelligent, discerning, virtuous, hospitable, faithful and fearful of the Lord. She was a leader in her family and yet anxious in only the ways a mother can be. Yet, she took her “ordinary” and allowed it to be infused with God’s “extra.” The result? An extraordinary miracle that changed the world forever.
This week, my sister and her husband invited a friend to spend Thanksgiving with my family since he was traveling for work. After about an hour or so he approached my father and said, “I know your daughter and now I’ve met your sons. I can’t help but think that what is infused in them must have come from you? I want to imprint that on my children.” Without missing a beat, my dad said, “It came from their mother.” Mary is Jesus’ mother. Yes, He’s the Son of God, but she raised him in the day-to-day. We can and should infer that what we see in Jesus, also tells us about his mother and her imprint on Him. Mary is a role model. She is a disciple. She is a Kingdom Woman. She is the type of Kingdom Woman we want our daughters to be, and our sons to marry.
Daily Battle Order:
How do you speak about Mary in your home? Do you teach about her? Like Mary, what are you imprinting on your children? Does it draw others in to ask how they can copy that in their own families and glorify God.
This Advent week, spend some time discussing her with your family. You’ll be very excited about what you all learn together.
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