Dear Friends,
As I begin this final Gazette letter of 2011, may I take this opportunity of thanking you all for your fellowship and contribution to the ministry of Emmanuel during the year? God has been good to us and it is good and right for us to take time to thank Him for His continuing grace to us as a fellowship.
Many of you will have read Mark Driscoll’s article on Santa Claus in the current Evangelical Magazine. It sets an important precedent in that he says that it is right to clear away the fable and legend surrounding historical characters. I want to do that in this letter as we take time to consider Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is easy for us as Protestants to “throw the baby out with the bath water” when it comes to Mary. Roman Catholic tradition and dogma has added much to the Biblical teaching about Mary, therefore we have probably avoided the Truth that Scripture does teach about her.
Luke introduces her (Lk. 1) as a resident of Nazareth, and tells us that she is a young woman who prior to marriage has protected her purity. The first things that the angel (messenger) of God says about her is that she is “favoured” – honoured with blessings. She was indeed honoured with blessing in that God chose her to be the means of His Son becoming fully human. That is probably a fact that it is difficult to take in. The angel then explained that Mary was to conceive and to bear a child, who would be called the “Son of God”. It is not hard to imagine the thoughts that may have run through Mary’s mind at this time and at any time of blessing it is easy for any of us to rob God of His glory by taking the glory to ourselves. Mary, however sets us a great example in that she says “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
With such immeasurable privilege, she sees herself as nothing more than the servant of the Lord. The word that she uses for servant intimates a willingness to be fully surrendered to the will of another. This is not the service of a galley slave, who is chained and robbed of all freedom and rights, but one who willingly sacrifices self-interest for the good of another. Mary, gives us all a commendable example. She was willing to live under the authority of God’s word, in order that His will and purpose might be fulfilled.
The preceding discussion has shown that she could not fully understand all that was about to happen, but she was not going to jeopardise the purposes of God. When Mary, like many pregnant mums shared these events with another pregnant relative she wrote one of the most wonderful hymns of the NT, and said “My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, (Lk 1:46,47) She was determined that God alone would be given glory in these events.
After the birth of Jesus and the visit of the shepherds, it is recorded that Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Lk 2:19). With all the unusual events that surrounded the conception and birth of Christ Mary became neither blasé nor over familiar. She continued to be amazed by the wonderful works of God.
At the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, Mary is amongst the first to call people to faith and obedience in her Son, when she told the servants at the wedding to do all that He told them. It would seem that Mary never left the group of village women, but maintained a humble position amongst contemporaries and never once forgot her role as his Mother. During his ministry Jesus was ever at hand to learn and to serve. At his rejection and crucifixion, she remained close enough to be addressed by her son from the cross. At his burial, she along with the other women observed his burial site in order that she might continue her service even beyond death.
We never once read that Mary sought glory for herself. She never saw herself as more than a servant, but she was a willing servant. She stands as a marvellous example in Scripture of a servant, committed to do God’s will and to give Him glory. In a recent sermon we heard of Paul calling people to follow His example. Mary never once calls us to do that, but surely she stands not as one who shared the glory and ministry of Christ, but as one who all that she could to serve God and to give Glory to her Son, who was also God’s Son.
May we each be willing to serve as Mary served, so that all the nations of the earth might know that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
In closing I would also, on behalf of Linda and myself like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Yours in Christian love,
Bernard Lewis, December 2011
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