In our tradition, we don’t say much about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Personally, I think we should pay more attention to Mary. The Bible claims that Mary is the most blessed of all women. The Bible doesn’t say that the Apostle Paul was the most blessed of men or that Luther was the most blessed of all church reformers. But the Bible says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the most blessed of all women. She is what the church has called the Theotokos which means the bearer of God. Of all of the followers of Jesus, Mary should be the most honored. Mary, the mother of Jesus and disciple of God, teaches us some very important principles about keeping first things first and keeping our focus on that which matters most.
For example, Mary hears a message that must have shaken her to the core. An angel appears to her, and this is the message, “You are highly favored of God, and by the way you are pregnant.” Now, I think most people would have had a different reaction than Mary. Mary, who is about fourteen years old at the time should have said something like, “You have got to be kidding. I’m what?” When Mary hears the message from the angel the scriptures record, she worships. She says, “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. Luke 1:46
In the face of personal crisis, Mary decides to worship God. We have to, at this point in the story, simply stand in amazement and say, “You did a good job picking your servant God.” Christian worship is at the heart of keeping our lives focused on God. If dedication to the Lord is not tempered in the fires of worship, the result is a kind of unfocused flittering around that serves nobody. Knowing that God in heaven is our Father is meant to increase our wonder, our joy, and our sense of privilege, and this leads to worship. A fundamental task in keeping ourselves centered is to worship the one who has created us! And it was Mary’s first instinct. WOW! Nice job God!
Have a great week!
-Pastor Corey