And we sweep the pine needles off the floor, hide the big boxes that guard our once a year treasures, replace the burned out candles. Wonder if we'll get used to the smell of this of this tree.
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| Our advent wreath next to the salt and pepper. |
And I'm disconnected.
I'm enjoying the candle light more this year. The daily reminders of His names. I'm singing along with the well known, well loved songs of the season.
But I'm disconnected. It's not real. It's too clean.
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| Clean, happy, plastic nativity from my childhood. |
Now, each year, for several years, and maybe because I'm a mother, I've thought of Mary more and more. Her belief, her hardship, her obedience, her love, her devotion, her grief. And this year Joseph joins in my thoughts.
Mary, a young Jewish girl, an obedient daughter, a quiet young lady is one day alone minding her own business when SHAZAM! There's this angel!
“Greetings, O favored 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 favor 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.”
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| Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1898 |
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 will be called holy—the Son of God.
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”
Immediate obedience. If only that angel could have stuck around.
I believe that Mary ran-away to Elizabeth and Zechariah for safety. How to you tell your parents and friends that your expecting and no mortal man was involved, but you were "visited" by God, in a society that not only won't believe you but will start picking up rocks to hurl at your head?
Joseph must have been nearby. Respected yet embarrassed. Compassionate yet firm. The strength of a carpenter and yet humble. The way God made him.
His words saved her physical life. And then I see him turn his back and walk away.
Mary, the "O favored one," lived with shame she did not deserve. Someone always had a rock handy.
So, this same angel who announced her "condition" had also planted a seed about sweet, OLD cousin Elizabeth.
"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.”
Surprise again, Mary!
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the baby leaped in her womb.
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| Painting by Corby Eisbachercorbysart.blogspot.com#sthash.yvNQ50fK.dpuf |
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and she exclaimed with a loud cry,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
God sent her there. Who better to love on this young mother than one who had so longed for a child and believed that the Messiah was coming, one also willing to be used by God, one who was experiencing a miracle, and the Holy Spirit that filled her little miracle, well, of course as part of the triune God He recognized Himself. Whatever Zechariah thought he had to keep to himself.
Mary stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Old-parents-of-John for three months. Elizabeth was six months along when Mary showed up. So, I believe that Mary was present when John was delivered and took in the message of of Zechariah about the "horn of Salvation." His eyes looked from his new son to her growing form during those words. And she took it in. And remembered that God was her refuge and nothing was impossible for Him. She needed to go back home. She, like most new mothers, needed to see her mother.
Scene shift:
Joseph's mind is racked by thoughts of Mary. How could she do this to him? Who did this to her? Why? How? Blame and remorse fought. He had to turn his back on her. He had to end their betrothal. His sleep was fitful at best.
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| Picture from Goodsalt.com |
But as he considered these things,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep,
Was it real? Mary is a virgin? The Holy Spirit. A son . . . Jesus? He prayed for Mary, he prayed for wisdom. He had to see her. But she was gone . . . or so he thought.
He anxiously waited till morning. He HAD to see her father. But when he knocked who should answer but that lovely young girl, her face glowing. They had no words that could relieve the flood of emotion in both hearts and minds. They just looked at each other.
Her parents came upon the two as they tripped together into the house and began in unity to explain. Slowly, joyfully, they began to find the common. Angels, Holy Spirit, son, Jesus . . .
Joseph
did as the angel of the Lord commanded him:
he took his wife,
but knew her not
He moved her in. He took her for his wife in all ways but that fun one. It was nice to have her happily around the house. But the well meaning people of Nazareth still found stones. Finding work was hard.
Pastor mentioned last week that perhaps Joseph became Mary's protector. When he was called away to be registered he took her with him. Why else would such a woman travel at such a time in her life. She couldn't be without him.
In my mind, together they are traveling. Oh, to have met them on the journey! Would they share the story? Surely not. Not without my earning MUCH trust. For their story, on the surface, was vile and dangerous.
So, they were just two, newly wed, crazy kids. Young people. . . Humph.
I love their story. I love them. They were brave. How hard it must have been to continue to remind themselves that they were indeed doing God's will, that angel was real, God was providing. It was just messy.
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| "The Road to Bethlehem" by Joseph Brickey |
She could have been anywhere from 4 to 9 months when they traveled. I think she may have been pretty far along. There is no mention of a donkey, although it would have been fitting. Mostly it was on foot.
And as they make camp for the night, perhaps hungry, they bow their heads and Joseph leads them in giving thanks for all things. Perhaps he questioned God, perhaps he complained, perhaps he begged, then thanked God for their very lives.
And they slept. Tucked away somewhere. Close enough to other travelers for safety, far enough away to whisper privately of their future. Self-controlled. Barely touching. Did he dare kiss her forehead goodnight?
So much love. So much restrained.
And the group of travelers whispered then forgot. And the stars twinkled above. And they were safe for now.
Bethlehem was crowded, they had little in their pocket book. Perhaps Joseph had relatives there but there was no lodging in an inn or guest chamber. They sought refuge in the barn. A bed of soft hay would seem a luxury after nights spent traveling rough terrain.
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in swaddling cloths
and laid him in a manger,
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| Manger photo courtesy of this site. |
Joseph was delighted. Mary was tired.
They may have been in a barn but they had all they needed.
They wrapped their little son in rags. Wrapped him in bandages used for the dead.
Mary cried.
They rested. A star shone brightly and they remembered that "The heavens declare the glory of God."
They sang softly into the creators tiny ears, lullabies He wrote, praises to His Father.
The King of Kings became the Lamb of God born in a barn.
Quietly, slowly, timidly a group of dirty, rapturous shepherds came to this little stall where the young family rested.
Mary knew. They were sent, just as she had been, for such a time as this.
They came, comforted by the familiar stink of animals and hay, they looked and knelt.
A chance for young parents to show off their baby. A chance for a forgotten group of believers to worship.
They shared their story of angels, the young parents smiled and sighed and told their own story.
They lingered under the starlight in the presence of this little Lamb. Wonderment! Glory!
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
That's what mother's do. Until their hearts are full. Mary did it until hers broke.
Light began to dawn.
And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,
he was called Jesus,
the name given by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
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| Serenade of Angels by Corrine Layton |
God continued to provide. He continued for sometime to remind the parents that what they knew was true.
And life went on.
They couldn't keep him little.
They just couldn't keep him.
It wasn't happy lights and ribbons and
candles and feasting.
It was dirty, smelly, hard, messy, unclean.
It was praise the Lord anyway for He has done a VERY GREAT thing. Come and See!
Come and See!
He came for me. Hard. Messy. Unclean.
He came for WHOSOEVER.
That's you too.
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
among those with whom he is pleased!”
"for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Painting and photos credited in photo caption.
Bible verses from ESV Matthew 1 and Luke 1 & 2
Random thoughts, vivid imagination, courtesy of yours truly.
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