blessed (Mary's life) pt. 3

I listened to an interview with Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, some time back. He’s reputed to be the richest man in the world and is estimated to have given away 36 billion dollars to charitable causes. During the conversation the interviewer reminded him of something his dad once recounted. When Bill Gates was about 14 the family organised to go away on a trip. Everyone was helping to get packed up and load up the car. All except Bill! His dad shouted up the stairs, “Time to go, Bill.” No reply. “Hurry up, Bill we need to go. What are you doing up there?” Bill Gates replied, “I’m thinking”.

Think about Bill Gates saying ‘I’m thinking’ for a moment as we further reflect on the life of Mary from Luke chapter 2 (take time to read it)!

I almost imagine this chapter as a series of pictures that are lifted straight out of Mary and Jospeh’s family album. They capture those precious moments in early family life. There is a photograph of Jesus as a new born at the beginning of the chapter, one of him at his dedication in the temple in the middle and one on a family holiday in Jerusalem at the end of the chapter.

Much of family life is found in those snapshots. 

You have the family’s…

High days - Jesus’ birth and the joy it brought.

Holy days - Jesus’ dedication to God in the temple and the sense of responsibility it awakened in Mary’s heart. 

Holidays - Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem with the wider family and the fun and happiness that must created. 

High days, holy days and holidays all in one brief chapter. However, beyond the material realities of life Mary was confronted with some pretty major truths about her Son.

There’s an angel choir in the hills high above Bethlehem announcing his birth and declaring that he would be the Saviour of the world.

There’s a godly old man in the temple when Jesus is dedicated who says that his life will lead to an event so dramatic that it will feel like a sword has pierced her soul.

And finally having lost Jesus on the family holiday Mary eventually finds him in the temple conversing with the most learned men in the Jewish faith. Jesus then informs her that she should have expected to find him there involved in God his Father’s work. That’s a lot for any mother to handle. Luke tells us exactly how she does respond to those remarkable truths. Twice over in this chapter there is a phrase used that describes the attitude that Mary adopted during these extraordinary years.

After the Jesus’ birth and the visit of the super-excited group of Shepherds and their story of angel choirs and the message of a new-born Saviour, it says:

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

And then: 

“But his mother treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51). 

Mary “treasured” God’s words to her, actively remembering and reflecting on what He had spoken to her through Gabriel and through the Holy Scriptures. One of the definitions of the word “treasured” is “to preserve a thing from perishing or being lost.” So she guarded these truths in the deepest recesses of her being. What God had done for Mary was the treasure of her heart.

She also “pondered” these things. Not even Mary understood Jesus fully.  But she began to put together growing insight into the biblical prophecies about her Son, the earlier birth of John the Baptist, the report of the shepherds, the later visit of the wise men, and so on.  She thought it through, again and again. She meditated on those truths and experiences. And that truth sustained her, while others might have lost their enthusiasm.

In the frenetic pace of family life Mary maintained that practice of meditating on all that she had learned from God about her Son and those truths sustained and strengthened her with everything she would encounter on years that followed.

Psalm 1 is a stunning example of this practice and Mary would have known it well. 

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he mediates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season 

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Christian mediation is taking the truths of the Bible and planting them in your heart until they germinate and grow. It’s very different from reading and studying the Bible. You study the Bible to learn. You mediate on what you have learned in the Bible so that it affects your heart and mind to love the things contained in it and to delight in them.

What a great practice to adopt this Christmas season - I’m thinking!

This Week...

Read the Bible passage - Luke 2:1-51

Reflect on what it says, means and how it applies to you

Respond - Write out Psalm 1 on a card or type it into "notes" on your mobile phone. Memorise it verse by verse over the week. Repeat it to yourself often and practice its advice on meditation. 

Song Choice - Joy to the World https://open.spotify.com/track/7Cix5zKZXNbzdtMcy2lMFP?si=2bU953k2QOajnGKwCTRTfg

(picture - near our home in Waterfoot!)

 

blessed (mary's life) pt. 2

 On one of the first occasions that I visited Albania with a team from Cartsbridge Church we took a walk through a huge market in the city of Vlore. Anything and everything was available - perfumes, aftershaves, Ray Ban sunglasses, Calvin Klein boxer shorts and so on. However, closer inspection highlighted some concerns. The famous Ray Ban logo actually read ‘Ray Bam’ on some of the sunglasses, and some of the Calvin Klein boxer shorts had the name misspelled on the band. It read Calvin Klien! It wasn’t hard to work out that these items were fake.

It’s fair to say that when you hold up any item up to scrutiny sooner or later you discover if it’s real or fake.

As we further consider the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, this week I have come to a basic conviction. You can’t fake a godly life. And Mary’s life is an authentic and true expression of Christian living.  

Last week we met Mary before an angel and we discovered this young woman’s humility and honesty in that encounter. But her life stands up to greater scrutiny as we see her beside Elizabeth.

Here's how Luke describes it...

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”

(Luke 1:39-45)

This passage reveals the genuineness of Mary’s faith. And that authenticity is revealed in three dimensions. Firstly, in: 

➡️ Genuine Wonder (Verse 39)

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea” (Verse 39).

To appreciate this short verse I believe you need to set it in the context of the wider story of Luke chapter 1. In Luke 1:26-38 Mary is given the mind blowing message that she will give birth to Jesus, Messiah, Son of God. And then in Luke1:40-55 we see Mary’s profound response to this news in language that is saturated with references from the Old Testament.

Verse 39 is a kind of in-between verse. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea”. We don’t know where that town was but the journey may have taken some days days. I am convinced that as Mary makes her way to Elizabeth’s home she’s pondering the teaching of the Old Testament, especially the Story of Hannah in the book of 1 Samuel who also gave birth to a special son.  

What stands out about Mary is that early in life she immersed herself in the teaching of the Old Testament. In her teenage years she has developed an understanding of God and his ways from the Hebrew Scriptures.

And by the time Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s house the significance of the angel’s message had dawned on her. She really was pregnant without human agency. She was carrying the Son of God, King David’s heir, the Messiah!

She’s full of genuine wonder that God had chosen her for arguably the greatest purpose in human history. 

Secondly, we see Mary's authentic faith revealed in its:

➡️ Genuine Joy (Verses 40-45)

Mary and Elizabeth are full of joy and the unborn son of Elizabeth leaps for joy in her womb.

The word ‘joy’ appears nearly 200 times in the Bible. Joy is a condition of the heart. People often confuse joy with happiness, but they’re not interchangeable. Joy comes from within, regardless of what is going on around you. Happiness can be a blurred emotion, dependent on circumstances. Joyful people make a commitment to gratitude regardless of the circumstances. John Stott once said, “The Holy Spirit puts God’s love in our hearts, God’s joy in our souls and God’s peace in our minds.” Love, joy and peace are the principle characteristics of a Spirit-filled Christian.

Mary knew genuine wonder that sprang from her reflection on God’s Word. And she experienced genuine joy and that that was the result of the God’s Spirit filling her heart.

Finally, Mary's faith is expressed in:

➡️ Genuine Worship (Verses 46-55)

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,

    for the Mighty One has done great things for me -
    holy is his name. 

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Mary’s song revealed how well she was steeped in the Scriptures. Even though she was still a teenager, she knew the Word of God and how to use it. She hid God’s Word in her heart and turned it into song. 

Her song begins with an expression of praise. Her great desire was to magnify the Lord, not herself. Eight times in her song she uses the expression “He has” as she remembers what God has done for her and for all of God’s people.

And from thankfulness for what God has done for her, Mary turns to contemplate what God is like. She focuses on three truths about God:

His power - She sees herself as insignificant, but this doesn’t matter, for the “Mighty One” is at work.

His holiness - He is different, unique, set apart from all of creation.

His mercy - He is good. With God there is forgiveness.

In the hidden years before her encounter with the angel Gabriel, Mary clearly reflected on the Hebrew Scriptures. She grappled with its meaning and applied it to her life so that when the moment came and she was thrust onto the world stage, she had the resources and the insight to respond in a way that, in her own words, glorified the Lord.  

There’s no time like the present to begin the work of hiding God’s word in your heart to equip you to know him and to live for him in a fallen world. 

This Week...

Read the Bible passage again - Luke 1:39-56

Reflect on what it says, means and how it applies to you

Respond - How can I, like Mary, develop a greater understanding of the Bible? And how can I apply what I learn to the ordinary circumstances of my life?

Song Choice - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel -https://open.spotify.com/track/3KTxYJgISFEFhvg4CzSiB4?si=jo5UtqaCQ2-04APctZfBfA

(Picture - Beinn Ime, on the Arrochar Alps)

blessed (mary's life) pt. 1

 We’ve just entered the season of Advent and I’d like to use these weekly reflections across the month of December to consider what the Gospels teach about Mary, the mother of Jesus. What can we learn from this godly woman about living a Christian life?

We meet Mary at a deeply special time in her life, engaged to be married. Can you imagine her excitement? But if there was a buzz around all of that, imagine what an encounter with an angel generated? 

Here is how Luke records Mary’s experience Before An Angel (Luke 1:26-38)

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her." 

There are two words which open up Mary’s experience…

➡️ Surprise (Luke 1:26-33)

It’s easy to see why Mary was troubled by Gabriel’s greeting. “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you”. 

I can imagine Mary asking, “Why would an angel come to greet me? In what way am I “highly favoured” (“greatly graced”) by God? How is God with me?”

However, when we reflect on Mary’s response to this angelic visit we see how it reveals her humility and her honesty before God. She never expected to see an angel and receive special favours from heaven. 

There is a massive contrast between the attitude of Mary in this moment and the prevailing culture of this generation. We live in an age of entitlement.

This is the generation which says:

• I deserve…
• I’m entitled…
• Pay my bills…
• Take care of me…
• Don’t offend me…
• It’s really all about me!

If our generation encountered the angel, we say something like, “What took you so long?!”

But here is a teenager who displays a deep sense of humility and honesty. She’s disturbed by the experience and wonders what it all means. 

Gabriel then gave her the good news: she would become the mother of the promised Messiah whom she would name Jesus.

From Mary’s Surprise we turn to her:

➡️ Surrender (Luke 1:34-38)

Mary knew what would happen, but she didn’t know how it would happen. Her question in verse 34 was not an evidence of unbelief (verse 18); rather, it was an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she didn’t understand the performance. As the Message captures it: “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” 

There is a world of difference between someone who says, ‘I don’t believe this’ and the person who says, ‘I don’t understand this.’

If you’re struggling with some aspects of the Christian faith, then you are in the very best company!

Rend Collective have a great line in the song, My Lighthouse - “In the questions, your truth will hold”. The Christian faith has stood up to 2000 years of rigorous scrutiny. And its truth holds.

Mary comes to the angel with her question and the response it generated is remarkable. There is a deeper, fuller and richer understanding of the God’s ways and of God’s Son. 

First, Gabriel explains that this would be a miracle, the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Then the angel gave Mary a word of encouragement: her older relative Elizabeth was also expecting a child, proving that “nothing is impossible with God”.

Mary’s believing response was to surrender herself to God as his willing servant. She experienced the grace of God (verse 30), believed the word of God and therefore was used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said”. 

She belonged to the Lord body (Luke 1:38), soul (v.46) and spirit (v.47).

What an example for us to follow.

Mary teaches us through her surprise at the angel’s announcement and her surrender to God’s Word that this brings blessing from God.

Paul urges us to give ourselves to God as “living sacrifices, holy – the kind he can accept. When you think of how much he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1-2)

This Week…

Read the Bible passage again.

Reflect on what it says, means and how it applies to you.

Respond - What does Mary teach us about how we should respond to God’s call on our lives?

Song Choice - Tell Out, My Soul - Keswick, Lewis Green https://open.spotify.com/track/5dSOkhcG53BBFC3FZ2ZjZ8?si=tpZlpZzGRBGwafgJ7vD_nA

(Picture - Ben Arthur aka 'the Cobbler')