All on the line

                                 "I am the Lord’s servant"~ Luke 1:38

Advent Blog; Day 10


Mary stood to lose everything. She was not just trusting God that a miracle would happen, she was trusting God that when that miracle happened  that she would not become a social outcast, a burden on her family, untouchable and without means. It was likely for such a woman in these circumstances that her best option would be prostitution. This was no joking matter for a young woman in this culture, in these times in history.

If this went wrong she was up the creek.

If this went wrong she stood to lose her fiance. She knew him to be a decent and Honourable man, which is great, but potentially meant he would want no shame and dishonour by being coupled with her. If she felt like this this she was justified. Matthews gospel tells us that Joseph had it in mind to divorce her quietly. This was about the biggest kindness she could expect and, in context, it was a deep kindness and not one without risks for Joseph. When Mary said "How can this be since I am a virgin?" She wasn't playing dumb. She literally threw her life at Gods feet with the faith that she showed. She put herself on the line wholesale. Her reputation, her family name, her financial means, her body itself. We see the nativity as something quite sweet. It was far from that.

Yesterday we said that Marys faith was clear thinking, that she did not shy away from the obstacles. She would have seen all these implications in an instant.

As modern believers we often try to work through the implications of a "calling". We worry weather it might mean a move, a change in financial circumstances, strained family relationships. We worry about whether we got it right or not.  As someone who has faced all these dilemmas and more than once been found wanting I am deeply impressed by Marys open and wholehearted embracing of Gods claim on her and his word to her. Jesus spoke of the good ground that received the seed, that wasn't hard and unresponsive, that didn't have the word snatched away, that didn't allow worry to choke it or get get deceived by other attractions, that didn't shy away when hardships came because it had no root. Jesus had been raised by a woman who knew how to receive the word of God, to tend it and give it root.

May our words and the response of our hearts to Gods word to us be like Marys. Lord may we receive with gladness, lay our lives at your feet, whatever the cost, and humbly receive the word which will save us.