Where Does Your Bravery Come From?
Many of us know the basics of Mary’s miraculous conception, whether we grew up in church or not. I learned it in Sunday school, as well as every Christmas Eve when we would read the Christmas Story before opening presents. The short summary of what I understood as a child was that Mary was handpicked by God to carry and give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. She was a virgin and engaged to be married, and somehow convinced her fiancée Joseph that she hadn’t cheated. She was a woman who clearly had favor with God.
But as I grew up, so did my understanding of the story. Mary was not a woman. For all intents and purposes, she was a child by our standards. And while I may have considered her lucky to be chosen by God, as an adult I read this story and think I would have seen this as a curse. Because bold and public miracles, like virgin pregnancy, require a bold, public, and brave faith.
A little insider baseball: when talking about this post with the writing team, I jokingly (but seriously) commented on how we treat Mary as a gentle, docile, and obedient player in the story, but who really has the guts to tell an angel no? I doubt I would. If an angel appeared to me today and told me I was going to be the bearer of a miracle, one that could cause me to be labeled a liar, a whore, or worse, I probably wouldn’t be stoked to be part of the team. But I also don’t think I would be brave enough to say “please pick someone else.” Lo and behold, the scripture tells us Mary’s response:
Luke 1:26-45 (The Message)
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:
Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
The angel answered,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said,
Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.Then the angel left her.
Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,
‘You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!’’
Mary’s bravery comes from her belief. Whereas I imagine I would have a million questions and comments on how faulty the plan is, literally the only question Mary asks is “how”. She is ready to serve - fully aware that people may never buy her claim of a virgin conception and she’ll be an outcast in her community. She just wants to know how it's going to be done.
Take note - when Mary asks “how”, the angel doesn’t say “don’t worry about it, we’ve got it covered”. The angel doesn’t shame her for a lack of faith or accuse her of questioning God’s plan. The angel tells her how it’s going to happen. God isn’t playing mind games with us - we have full permission to ask questions. Once she receives an answer, she is all in; steadfast in her belief that the Lord knows what’s best and will take care of her.
Mary’s bravery also comes from her friend. The scripture tells us she wastes no time and goes straight to her cousin Elizabeth, who has also experienced a miracle pregnancy of her own. If you read on a little further you see that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, and while this might seem like an insignificant addition to the story, I think it’s there for a crucial reason.
A woman often begins to show in her pregnancy around the third or fourth month, right when Mary returns to her community. I can only imagine Mary knew that convincing people she was an unwed, pregnant virgin was going to be a tough sell, so she went to the one person she knew would believe her. And rather than enjoying her last few months with her friends and family while she could still hide the baby, she stays with Elizabeth to be filled with the kind of encouragement and strength you can only get from one of your closest friends.
At the end of it all, Mary’s bravery is spurred on by her willingness to adapt to a different life. Being a pregnant, unwed teenager was probably never Mary’s dream for her life. And yet, just because Mary’s story didn’t go the way she had dreamt, didn’t keep it from turning into something beautiful.
It takes a brave soul to push into the unexpected turns of life instead of desperately holding onto old dreams.
A brave soul to say “yes, Lord” instead of trying to fit God into your plan.
As you wade through this holiday season, where is God calling you to become more brave?
Becoming generous
weekly family activity - obedience
Each week of this Advent season your family has an opportunity to grow in its generosity.
This week we want to be a blessing to those who are brave enough to be obedient, even when times are tough. Our local fire fighters and police officers show their obedience every week when they step-in to keep our communities safe. Show them a small amount of gratitude by baking them some fresh treats. Leave them at their station with a short thank-you note.
To follow along with this study, mark your calendars for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in these weeks leading up to Christmas. Each post will be hosted here. If what you’re learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to invite more people on this journey of becoming.
We also invite you to spend Sunday mornings with us to hear what the pastors have to share with us during this season. Services start at 9:30 and 11:15am each week. See you there!
Weekly Reading - Dec 9-13
Monday Luke 1:26-56
Tuesday Micah 5:2-3
Wednesday Matthew 1:18-25
Thursday Isaiah 11:1-10
Friday Luke 1:57-80