Author Archives: John D. Willome

Dear God, as I think about trying to get into Mary’s (Jesus’s mother) skin, I think I want to break it into four parts:

• Conception, Pregnancy & Birth
• Parenting the Child
• Parenting the Adult & Crucifixion
• Resurrection & Post-Ascension

So today I want to look at the first part. I want to think about everything from Gabriel’s visit in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (Luke 1:26) through the shepherds’ visit (Luke 2:16).

Part 1: Angel Visit

I noticed that Gabriel gives Mary a little more latitude than he gave Zechariah when he was questioned by each of them about how these pregnancies could be. I wonder if he didn’t know that Zechariah needed the quiet to really prepare while Mary needed supportive community and relationship. She needed to be able to talk–to Joseph, Elizabeth, etc. Maybe. Just maybe.

Also, Mary had no idea what she was saying yes to. Ignorance was her ally in this case because if she had known what the future had in store (from a manger birth to a crucified son), she might not have had the courage to accept. A lot was about to happen to her over the next 33 years. Actually, for the rest of her life, but especially the next 33 years.

I don’t want to miss what Gabriel told Mary about Jesus’s birth. This child will be the son of God. He will sit on David’s throne. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end. No pressure there. I confess I’ve always wondered about this prophecy. From an earthly standpoint it simply didn’t happen. Why did you mislead her like that? Or did you mislead her? I can’t help but think of the fact that my eyes see so little. Our eyes, as humans, see so little. In the spiritual realm, Jesus does, indeed, sit on David’s throne and rules over the house of Jacob. He does indeed. But on this side of the veil it’s hard for any of us to see, including Mary.

Part 2: Buyer’s Remorse?

I wonder how much Mary regretted or was afraid of what she had committed to after Gabriel left and she had time to think about it. A lot of realities had to have set in for her. What will my parents, Joseph, friends, family and the greater community say? Will Joseph leave me? Will the townspeople stone me? Is my life in danger? How am I going to raise this baby? Did I imagine the whole thing or did I really talk to an angel? Am I really pregnant? This was not how she thought her life would go at all.

I love how you provided Elizabeth and Zechariah for her. I mean, really, what a great thing for you to do. Life Ruth for Naomi, you gave Mary the knowledge that there was a weird, God-driven pregnancy in her own family so she went there looking for support. If anyone was going to believe her, Elizabeth and Zechariah were probably her best shot. And you affirmed her when she got there. She never had to say a word to Elizabeth. Elizabeth became a prophet and proclaimed your truth to her. She not only felt loved in that moment, but she also had to be somewhat relieved to have some validation. She wasn’t crazy. You were with her. She got to tell the story of Gabriel’s visit with excitement instead of trepidation. I wonder if she and Zechariah even compared notes on how he looked, with Mary talking to Zechariah and Zechariah writing his descriptions down. This whole part of the story had to have filled her with so much worship of you, affirmation and courage. In fact, we know it did because she broke out into “Mary’s Song.” She doesn’t completely understand what you will do through Jesus. She still have a human’s eye for what to expect from you and this child. But she is certainly feeling good and relieved in this moment, worshipping you throughout.

Part 3: Bethlehem

Here’s the first time we get to see Joseph in Luke’s Gospel, although Matthew seems to give us Joseph’s story without much of Mary’s. In Luke 2:1-5, they head to Bethlehem together. Their first trip alone? Maybe. Maybe it was their first time having to problem solve together. And then, in verse six, she gives birth and then we are given the information that she had to put him in a manger be cause there was no lodging available for them.

Forget the details for a bit. Was it a barn? A cave? It doesn’t matter. What we know is that this was not the optimum place to have to give birth and then care for a newborn. I can only imagine the emotions of that night. The fear. No money. They obviously didn’t have a regular place to stay or they would have given birth there. No, I personally think they might have been camping outside of town. She could have given birth in their tent and then laid the baby in the manger. They could have even brought the manger into their little tent. I don’t know. But I know if it were me I would have been scared and wondering if you were really in this. Why would you allow your son to be born into such poverty? Was it okay that I laid him in a feed trough. This would seem to be an absolute mess. This simply isn’t how this should be going. Was I letting you down? These would be my thoughts.

Then here comes the next round of affirmations. Mary has these dirty shepherds show up with a great tale about angels, songs, and prophecies. And there is one key prophecy that they tell her: they were told they would find Jesus in a manger. Such a specific detail. God sees and God is not upset. He is blessing Mary and Joseph with these wonderful affirmers. He could have chosen anyone to affirm them or announce Jesus’s birth to. The local church or city leaders. The Pharisees. The high priest in Jerusalem. But he went the other way. He found the most unlikely candidates. I don’t know why. If I were to guess, it would be that these guys were no threat to Mary’s and Joseph’s authority over Jesus’s young life. They were just glad to be part of it, and admiring of the young couple. In my mind, anyone else might have tried to get the baby away from them. But these guys were humble, worshipful, and affirming.

Father, thank you for the affirmations you have been giving to me lately. Even as problems have arisen over the last week or two, you have simultaneously brought me solutions. Thank you. Thank you for the success of our dinner. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for absolutely everything you are doing for me. You know the particular cloud that is hanging over my heart right now. Make my path straight as I try to figure out what I am supposed to do or NOT supposed to do. Make it clear to me. I only want to do what will bring about your will on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, my Triune God,

Amen

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 18:1-8

Dear God, I had lunch recently with a friend and we were talking about how you are going to do what you are going to do, and our lives aren’t about us, but they are about you and how you might use us for your purposes. That’s all really neat and tidy for me. Pretty simple. Then I come across a parable like this from Jesus. The only line, “I don’t pray because it changes God. I pray because it changes me,” doesn’t seem to fit with this one. Can you really be changed?

I guess it goes back to verse 1. Why did Jesus tell this parable? Not all parables start with the moral of the story, but this one does. The point of the parable is to tell me that I should always pray and never give up. Always pray and never give up. My wife and I pray together every day. Sometimes it feels hopeless. In fact, yesterday, I told her that I felt hopeless with something of the things we pray about often. Just hopeless. As I thought about that this morning, I started to try to think of a parable where desperate prayer made an impact. This is the one that came to mind.

Father, you know what I prayed about this morning. You know what I prayed about yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that. For some of these things I’ve been praying for 10 years. And I confess to you that sometimes I lose faith. Sometimes I feel hopeless. But then you remind me through stories like this that I just need to keep praying and never give up. You also remind me through the stories of your people that most of the time the person doing the praying never lives to see the day their prayers are answered. Who am I to expect any different. So I have my concerns today, and I lift them to you. Does it change you? I don’t think it does as much as I would like it to, but I do think you are working in ways that I cannot see, and it is just my job to believe in you, trust in you, and have the faith in the things I hope for but cannot see. Help me to live out those words I just wrote.

I pray this through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection,

Amen