Mary Our Model

 You can listen to this sermon here

 Gate Pa – Year B - 4th Sunday of Advent, 2023

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26                                                   
First Reading                2 Sam 7:1-11, 16                    
Second Reading          Rom 16:25-27                        
Gospel                           Luke 1:26-38              

What I want to say:

To explore who is Mary, and how she might inspire us in our life of faith
And invites us to reflect on who helps us be disciples and who we help

What I want to happen:

People to reflect on the Mary’s of today and how we honour them

The Sermon

     1.    Introduction:

One of the great things about advent is we get to spend a little time with Mary
This astonishing young woman
Last week - heard her amazing song of praise and protest
This week the annunciation
Astounding story
Only in Luke
-        Mary not really given a lot of airtime by other gospel writers

o   Or other New Testament writers

Luke is different story
Unlike Matthew where angel goes to Joseph
In Luke it is all about Mary.
Peasant girl
Living in small village in Galilee

     2.    The Story

In Nazareth people will tell you that this conversation started at well
Now inside Orthodox church
Either continued as the walked down to her parents house
-        Now inside Church of the Annunciation
Or Gabriel left her to think about what was said
-        And returned to finish conversation in the house
This mind blowing conversation
Echoes of great mothers of faith like Sarai and Hannah
Titles beyond anything she could imagine
These titles did not belong to a poor girl like her
This poor peasant girl

     3.    The real Mary

When look for image of Mary
o   Amazed so many wealthy young woman

·       Far from truth

·       Probably 14 or 15 year old peasant girl, 

·       Lived in cave with family

·       Small poor village Nazareth – not thought highly of

o   Dependant on the one well

o   Now called Mary’s well.

·       No say in her life

o   Done what mother commanded

o   Learning what meant to be wife

o   So that when father arranged marriage, (as he had) she could honour family name being good dutiful wife

o   fulfil her duty well

To this young peasant girl Luke tell us comes Archangel Gabriel
We often talk about Mary's being willing - assumes choice

o        Unsure if she even has a choice,

o        Lived without choice

o        No choice in Gabriel’s words

o        Mary's response is not a question is not one of choice,

o        just confusion,

o        how can this be

o        Bewildered by all the angel says

o        She is favoured

o        She will bear a son

o        He will be called Son of Most High

o        God will give him the throne of David his father.

o        He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

®   What can any of this mean?

®   All beyond her

     4.    Elizabeth

Usually put great store in her “yes”

-        In many ways she simply does as she. is expected

One commentary I read noted something we often overlook
Tone of conversation changes when Gabriel says

-        Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labelled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”

Maybe this is where the conversation had stopped at the well

-         and Mary walked home bewildered

Gabriel returns to say

-        She will not be alone in this

-        Elizabeth will be there to help her make sense of all that is happening

-        Accompany her as her world is reshaped

Responds just as Jesus will respond in Gethsemane
“Let it be with me just as you have said.”
And she immediately goes to be with Elizabeth near Jerusalem

     5.    Elizabeth

At some point
Maybe with Elizabeth
She more than accepts
In Luke at least – she understands that something significant is happening here
In Luke she becomes someone significant for those who joined the Way of Christ
-        More than just Jesus’ mother
She becomes an icon of what the incarnation is all about
And a model for what it means to be a disciple
Just as hearing about Elizabeth helped her say her yes
-        Overcome all her fear and bewilderment
-        Accept her role to do what was expected
-        Even though that was the exact opposite of what had been expected as she went to draw water from that well
Through this yes we know that we are not alone
We are invited to reflect on those who have helped us say yes
-        Our “Elizabeths”
-        Journeyed with us as we have made sense of faith in our lives
Also invites us to reflect on those we have and continue to journey with,
-        Acting as Elizabeth for them

    

6.   
Love

Another commentator describes this meeting with angel
Mary being pursued by divine, covenant hesed love
She becomes the vehicle for this hesed love
-         become embodied in Jesus.
As Mary shows in this story
As every story about this love shows in all scripture

-        Unsettling and upsetting

-        very disruptive

-        at times dangerous

-        also Life giving

-        seeking justice for all

-        Invites us to see the world very differently

     7.    So What

What does Mary teach us about the way of love?

-        especially as we look to celebrating this Christmas.

who have been the Elizabeths in our lives?
who do we act as Elizabeth to?

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