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These
words come from Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, as Mary is visiting her
while pregnant with Jesus. It is worth talking a bit about Mary
since we, as Protestants, often sell her short because we don't want
to overdo things as our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters tend to
do. Mary is an absolute model of faithfulness. God comes to her
and tells her that she will bear the Messiah and she just goes right
along with it. This fidelity is evident to her cousin Elizabeth,
who is pregnant with John the Baptist, and she tells Mary so.
Surely Elizabeth's words helped Mary through her pregnancy and eased
any lingering doubts she might have had, but it is her faithfulness
and her willingness to carry out God's Will that makes her so
remarkable.
And it is what makes her worth emulating. While none of us have had
an experience like this we are all the heirs of God's promises. God
has promised salvation in and through Jesus Christ; that our lives
would be made better by following him; and that the world will one
day be redeemed. These promises are absolute and they are rooted in
God's Word. But they can be hard to believe. We hear the promises
but do we really believe they will be fulfilled? Do we really
believe that the Jesus Way is the best way or that this world will
be redeemed? The truth is that belief in God's promises sets the
stage for our lives. When we live as people who believe rather than
people who doubt our lives will bear witness to God's promises and
others will see God's work and Word through us; just as Elizabeth
saw God through Mary's belief. So on this day I say, be like Mary
and believe. |
Prayer: Holy God, help me to believe. Help me to believe
in your promises and that your Word will be fulfilled. I pray in
the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
[text from file received from Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian
Church]
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