The Story of Advent
December 12th, 2022
Mary, Did You Know?
As a Bible teacher and sometimes preacher, I tried to help people dig a little deeper into the meaning of the Bible for their lives. One strategy I learned a long time ago was to imagine I could interview a biblical character about his or her actions and motives. In the Advent season you and I might imagine time travel were possible, and we could interview someone mentioned in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, the chapters that treat the events leading up to Jesus' birth. The composer of a popular, newer Christmas song ("Mary, Did You Know?") imagined he could interview Mary, the mother of Jesus. Who would you interview? Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds who visited the newborn Jesus, Elizabeth, or Zechariah? Since I am an older guy, I might want to talk to Anna or Simeon (Luke 2: 25-38).
Presuming you or I talked to Mary, we could ask about her hopes and anxieties before the birth of her son. Maybe we would ask about the family’s visit to the Temple when Jesus was 12 years old. Mary was present for Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water to wine at Cana. The gospels report many reactions to the baby Jesus. Even more important is how you respond to Jesus now! Advent is the time we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth. Are you a follower of Jesus? How do you honor Jesus in your daily life? The Advent and Christmas seasons will be over in a few weeks, but our lives as Jesus' disciples stretch out before us in 2023 and beyond.
- Warren McWilliams