Head Spinning

The five women in Matthew’s genealogy: Mary
A Series on Advent
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:1-17 

[In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, there are five women mentioned. All of them were in some sense outsiders. In this Advent series we will be looking at these five women to gain a better understanding of “the word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us”.]

  

Have you ever felt disoriented? It might have been from something very simple. Like when you went to your favorite grocery store only to find out that they had totally rearranged the isles. Or, maybe while driving at night the street that you were expecting to turn on wasn’t where you thought it would be.

 

But it could also be something major. Maybe you had a crisis in your life that turned your world upside down and left your head spinning. Mary had a head spinning experience that not only changed her life, but the world.

 

Mary was a young, Jewish girl living in the small obscure town of Nazareth in Galilee. She was engaged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph. No doubt her family, friends and faith filled her life. She was following in the path of most young girls her age.

 

But then an angel appeared to Mary flipping her world upside down.

 

³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”        NLT

 

Because she was a virgin, Mary questioned the angel about how this could happen. He responded with a matter-of-fact answer that was anything but that.

 

³⁵ “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God”.               NLT

 

After two thousand years, the story of Christmas has become a cliché. It goes something like this: In a pristine scene of a clean stable with no manure or smelly straw, there’s a perfect newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. Shepherds and wise men surround the family with a star beaming brightly in the sky.

 

The story of the birth of Jesus has been told so many times that it’s been romanticized, homogenized and commercialized to the point that it has no impact. But for Mary… it had an immediate impact!

 

Somehow though, in the midst of this head spinning event, Mary managed to gather her wits.

 

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”  And then the angel left her.           NLT

 

Imagine what Christmas would be like if it was a head spinning event for you and me. Immanuel: God with us. That’s anything but a cliché.

 

Below is a link for a song by Faith Hill with the title “A Baby Changes Everything”.

 A Baby Changes Everything

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

A Mother’s Love

A Series on Advent
The candle of love – Mary
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20 

[Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Tradition includes lighting four candles: hope, love, joy and peace. To celebrate Advent, we will be looking at four people plus one who were intimately involved in the Christmas story, and then relating their part of the story to one of the Advent candles.]

  

A few years before my Mother passed away, I gave her this wall hanging which puts into words a mother’s love. It was so true for my Mom.

 

Her world was her children - raising and loving us. Even as adults, we were still her children. As a young woman, she probably had dreams of what being a wife and a mother would be like. Whether those dreams ever came true, I don’t know.

 

It’s safe to say that Mary’s dreams and expectations of marriage and motherhood, weren’t fulfilled. After all, what woman in Mary’s culture, would dream of getting pregnant out of wedlock? Or dream of traveling sixty-five miles by donkey over rugged terrain while being nine months pregnant? Or dream of giving birth in a stable and laying her baby in a feeding trough?

 

And yet, following the appearance of an angel, Mary seemed to not only accept these adverse circumstances, but to embrace them.

 

The angel said, “^37 “For the word of God will never fail.” ³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.          NLT

 

The birth of a baby is a joyous occasion. Friends and family celebrate with you; bring you presents; provide you with meals. But not Mary. Shepherds came to see her baby. They were strangers who tended sheep... just about the worst possible job you could imagine. But they told Mary of an angelic birth announcement.

 

¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”          NLT

 

Based on this announcement, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus just as the angel had described. In their excitement, they shared what the angel had declared to them. Mary responded with a mother’s love.

 

¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.     NLT

 

What did Mary “keep in her heart”?

Was she thinking about the angel who predicted that she would have a virgin birth; that the Lord God would give her baby the throne of David; that he would reign over Israel forever; that his Kingdom would never end?

Or was she thinking about the shepherds that told her an unbelievable story of an angel declaring that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem; that the Messiah was her baby Jesus?

 

As you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, remember to “keep all these things in your heart and think of them often” just like Mary did.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

Highs and Lows

 Personal reflections on Advent: Hope
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:1-20

 

Life is full of highs and lows!

 

For the past several years, I’ve been making an annual list of my own personal “highs and lows”. Typically, a high might include a vacation or singing in choir or visiting friends or family. Whereas, a low could include losing a job or putting our kitty down.

 

In the year of 2020, the number of lows is significantly more than the highs. On a macro scale, my lows include the COVID pandemic, racial unrest and a contentious presidential race. On a more personal level, my wife had a stroke; I had reconstructive foot surgery; and a decades-long family friend passed away.

 

Indeed, 2020 has been a tough year for all of us. And now we come to the Christmas season. Earlier in the fall, I noticed Christmas trees and outdoor decorations going up; maybe in an effort to change the momentum of the year.

 

But truthfully, can the “HO, HO, HO” of Santa Clause bring you true hope? Can the melodious voice of Bing Crosby singing White Christmas, bring you lasting hope? Can buying and wrapping presents for your children, grandchildren or spouse bring you hope that endures?

 

Mary found true hope that first Christmas. She must have experienced some profound highs and lows in that season of her life. Read about her response to the shepherds.

 

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.        NIV

 

True hope starts with the baby in the manger, continues with the man dying on the cross and culminates with the empty tomb. Maybe in the year of 2020, with all the craziness and chaos, we can find and experience the true hope of Christmas now and throughout the year.

 

 

 

 

Mary: A Willing Servant

Christmas Character Series

Luke 1:26-38; 46-55

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-38%2CLuke+1%3A46-55&version=NIV

 

God has a habit of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

 

Consider Moses, who wasn’t good at talking, but led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. Or David, who was a young, shepherd boy, but became the king of Israel which eventually led to his Messianic lineage.

 

A classic example of this was Mary; a teenage girl, living a hard scrabble life, who got pregnant by someone other than her betrothed, only to give birth to, and raise, the son of God.

 

But if you think about it, God could have chosen anybody that He wanted as the Mother of Jesus. It was His choice to set the criteria for her. If God had only used ZipRecruiter to find the best qualified mother then his ad might have appeared something like this:

 

Looking for a young, mature female with parental experience, either as a current mother or possibly a nanny or au pair. Needs to be able to deal with high stress, emotionally painful and complex situations. Must have the financial means to provide, not only for the child’s material needs, but also for his emotional, educational and missional needs. Should have a spouse who can provide the stability and security of a nuclear family that is necessary for a child to thrive.

 

Instead, God called Mary who was so insecure; so unstable; that God had to send an angel to build her up; to reinforce her; to give her the confidence that she was capable of actually doing the job.

 

²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”      NIV

 

To Mary’s credit, she asked only one question. Following this, she was ready to commit to the job. She was ready to follow God’s calling; to be His servant no matter what it would mean.

 

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”           NIV

 

Are you able to give such an unconditional commitment to follow Jesus? Mary has set the bar high. She has set a great example for us to follow. Despite the fact that, in many ways, Mary was unqualified for the job, she plowed ahead by faith.

 

When God calls you to what seems to be an insurmountable, unachievable task – remember how Mary responded. And then, like Mary, take the first step; say yes.

 

(Here’s a link for the song “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill. I hope you enjoy it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw