When we think of an important and urgent job that has to be done, we search for an unsurpassed person. Mary was that person. God needed a leader to raise and care for a leader. The Bible contains examples, Lois and Eunice, in the raising of Timothy, Miriam, and the care of Moses. Deborah, the Prophetess, the Only Female Judge in the History of Christianity, and Queen Esther, the Jewish queen, convinced the King to retract the order to annihilate the Jews made by Harman. Lydia had a successful business that led her people to Christianity. Phoebe, the first women Deacon, Priscilla, was a leather tent maker alongside her husband. These are just a few examples.
I have pondered on some of those questions in a poem about Mary which I wrote early in the 1990s. "You could have said No." No one else ever will face the challenge Mary faced, to bear the Son of God. Yet everyone who is called by God, whether to salvation or service, faces a choice. We can choose to say Yes, or choose to say No.
If given one imperative responsibility, could you follow through with it without hesitancy?
Could you do the tedious behind-the-scenes tasks with joy in your heart? Could you see that mission through to the very end? When overwhelmed and fearful, would you reach out to your faith community for support? Are you willing to share your testimony to help others? We have an example, Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
When I took a year to learn about Mary, of all the works I read Scott’s was the best! It made me mad b/c it was written by a man! I still give this book out as gifts as it thrills me to help others understand why Mary was/is so marvelous. This year I am using her words “ May it be” as my motto.
Mary holding a book goes to taking a whimsical license with Biblical and historical history. While that is fun in a workshop where you explore ideas and can close out the workshop with actual historical facts, it is not okay to depict what was not historically possible. Children believe what they see, especially in church or a religious edifice. What might be cute to us as adults becomes factual to children because they saw it or heard it in a church. James 3:1 warns, “My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others.” While it inspires future writers, what does it say to children who look through the world with innocent, all-believing eyes?
I love this. Mary was the first disciple, the first one to know Jesus was the Messiah, and among the first to witness the resurrection. My question is--why have women been held down and made "less than" by the patriarchy for so many centuries? I think too many men see power as a sum-zero game. If they give up some, there is less for them. They don't realize that shared knowledge and power helps everyone!
When we think of an important and urgent job that has to be done, we search for an unsurpassed person. Mary was that person. God needed a leader to raise and care for a leader. The Bible contains examples, Lois and Eunice, in the raising of Timothy, Miriam, and the care of Moses. Deborah, the Prophetess, the Only Female Judge in the History of Christianity, and Queen Esther, the Jewish queen, convinced the King to retract the order to annihilate the Jews made by Harman. Lydia had a successful business that led her people to Christianity. Phoebe, the first women Deacon, Priscilla, was a leather tent maker alongside her husband. These are just a few examples.
Have you read Marlo Schalesky's book https://www.amazon.com/Wrestling-Wonder-Transformational-Journey-through/dp/0310337402/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2FNB6UHVBXPXR&keywords=marlo+schalesky&qid=1671729507&sprefix=marlo+sch%2Caps%2C253&sr=8-2. She shares Mary's very real struggle in "Wrestling with Wonder".
I have pondered on some of those questions in a poem about Mary which I wrote early in the 1990s. "You could have said No." No one else ever will face the challenge Mary faced, to bear the Son of God. Yet everyone who is called by God, whether to salvation or service, faces a choice. We can choose to say Yes, or choose to say No.
If given one imperative responsibility, could you follow through with it without hesitancy?
Could you do the tedious behind-the-scenes tasks with joy in your heart? Could you see that mission through to the very end? When overwhelmed and fearful, would you reach out to your faith community for support? Are you willing to share your testimony to help others? We have an example, Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Thought-provoking. I’ve grown to see her humanity, her role as a prophet and disciple.
When I took a year to learn about Mary, of all the works I read Scott’s was the best! It made me mad b/c it was written by a man! I still give this book out as gifts as it thrills me to help others understand why Mary was/is so marvelous. This year I am using her words “ May it be” as my motto.
Mary holding a book goes to taking a whimsical license with Biblical and historical history. While that is fun in a workshop where you explore ideas and can close out the workshop with actual historical facts, it is not okay to depict what was not historically possible. Children believe what they see, especially in church or a religious edifice. What might be cute to us as adults becomes factual to children because they saw it or heard it in a church. James 3:1 warns, “My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others.” While it inspires future writers, what does it say to children who look through the world with innocent, all-believing eyes?
I love this. Mary was the first disciple, the first one to know Jesus was the Messiah, and among the first to witness the resurrection. My question is--why have women been held down and made "less than" by the patriarchy for so many centuries? I think too many men see power as a sum-zero game. If they give up some, there is less for them. They don't realize that shared knowledge and power helps everyone!