Peace be with you, my friends.
In many evangelical Protestant circles, we hear a lot about Abraham being the “Father of the Faith.” We refer to Abraham in this way because he obeyed God and allowed God to move within him. In doing so, Abraham became the “spiritual father” to the Israelite people. He became the “spiritual father” to the Church. In a very real way, through Abraham, God birthed into being the people of God.
Why, then, in those same circles, do we not hear enough about Mary being the “Mother of the Faith”? She, too, obeyed God. She, too, was used by God. God moved within Her to give birth to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God Almighty enfleshed. In this act, the Agent of Redemption and Salvation came through and into being within Her womb. In this way, She not only gave birth to the Messiah, but also gave birth, metaphorically speaking, to all people who would be redeemed by Christ’s Blood. She give birth to the Church, which was established and founded by the Blood of Christ. In a very real way, Mary has become the “Spiritual Mother” to the people of God.
Therefore, when we speak of Advent, we would be amiss to not pay attention to Her amazing and wonderful story. A Woman with immense courage, obeying God. A Woman with immense bravery, who spoke against the powerful and wealthy, declaring that God will hold them accountable. And a Woman with deep hope and faith, believing that the Messiah will uplift the lowly.
You can prepare for our Sunday morning Worship service,
Dec. 10, 2023, by reading Her Magnificat, found in Luke 1: 39-56.
As always, if you are unable to attend, you can livestream our service right here at 11am.
You can also livestream it from our website! www.dansvilleumc.org
With compassion, love, and prayer,
Pastor Michael
