Tag Archives: Mary

Sunday Scriptures –Take the Problem To Jesus and Leave It There

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By Sandy Kirby Quandt

In Max Lucado’s book, Before Amen The Power of a Simple Prayer, he discusses Jesus’ first miracle recorded in John 2. Jesus’ mother, Mary, told her son the wedding feast was out of wine.

Max writes that Mary wasn’t bossy. She didn’t tell Jesus what to do. She wasn’t critical of the host. She didn’t blame Jesus for allowing the problem to arise in the first place. And she didn’t blame herself for the problem.

Jesus replied his time had not come, nevertheless, his mother told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do.

Max suggests we are to be like Mary when we encounter problems:

  • Identify the problem
  • Bring the problem to Jesus
  • Leave the problem with him and trust him
  • Resist the urge to take back the problem

So I’m thinking … often we go to Jesus with our problems as a last resort, don’t we? We try to solve the situation on our own instead of going to Jesus first. Then once we do go to him, we try to tell Jesus how we want the situation resolved.

In his book, Max says Mary didn’t complain or accuse. She didn’t question why Jesus allowed the problem in the first place. Nor did she keep snatching it back and fret over it.

Mary identified the problem, took it to Jesus, and left it in his hands.

Perhaps it is time we do the same. What do you think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, and Jesus’ mother came to him with the problem. John 2:3 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Blessed Among Women

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Many a time, I’ve tried. I really have. But I just cannot imagine what it was like. To be a teenager engaged to one man and be told you would become pregnant with a child that was not his? To be told by an angel, of all things. That right there would be scary enough.

Mary found favor with God. She was the one chosen to give birth to the long awaited, much prayed for, Messiah. Savior. Deliver. She was blessed above all others.

Mary. A poor girl from the village of Nazareth. A descendent of the House of David. She was honored above all women who ever were and ever would be. Her son’s kingdom would never end.

How can you be the mother of the child of God? It’s difficult enough being the mother of a regular, everyday, garden variety child. But to raise the Son of the One True Creator God?

Like I said, I just cannot imagine it.

I can’t truly understand the flood of emotions that must have coursed through Mary’s every waking, and maybe sleeping, moment. Me? The vessel chosen to deliver the Messiah to the world? I believe that in God’s omnipotent, omniscient love and grace, he shielded Mary from the shadow of the cross for as long as he could.

Beyond the awesomeness of being chosen to carry Immanuel in her womb, Mary must have felt the pain of telling Joseph she was pregnant. Would he believe her? Really believe her? Fortunately, God took care of that when he sent an angel to inform Joseph of what was going on.

Then, of course, there were the neighbors. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Did the gossip sting Mary’s heart? God took care of that, too. When Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, Elizabeth pronounced Mary held the Savior inside. Affirmation of who Jesus was. Who Mary was.

There were the angels. The shepherds. The wise men. Anna and Simeon in the temple.  Witness to the great thing the LORD God Almighty had and would do.

God continues to use his people to accomplish his plans. We won’t give birth to the Messiah, but like Mary we carry Christ inside us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we claim Jesus as our LORD and Savior, it becomes our responsibility to praise God for the great things he has done for us through his love, mercy and grace, and share that wonder with those around us.

Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.” Luke 1:46-50

I wish you well.

Sandy

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The Noblest of All Men

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The Bible does not tell us much about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, but what it does say, speaks volumes.

Though he had every right, through the law, to break off his engagement to Mary when he discovered she was pregnant, Joseph wanted to do it quietly. He loved her, and didn’t want to publicly humiliate her.

When he learned Mary was pregnant with the Savior of the world, he understood he would raise a child who was not his biologically. Yet, Joseph vowed to love God’s son as his own flesh, and raise him as his own. What a challenge in any time, but especially during the time Jesus was born. Joseph was willing to stand with Mary, support her, love her and her child, and endure the cruel gossips of the day.

Nobel Joseph. Honorable Joseph. Hardworking Joseph. Devoted. Committed. God-fearing. Obedient. Loving husband. Loving father.

Like Joseph, maybe we’ve been called by God to stand with someone others are unjustly condemning. Maybe we’ve been put in an uncomfortable situation, and asked to do things that take us out of our comfort zone for Jesus’ sake. Maybe we’ve had to lead from the shadows, without recognition.

Joseph did all that, yet, he was the noblest of all men. His name will be remembered for all eternity as the man chosen by the Creator of the Universe to raise the Messiah. What an amazing honor and privilege.

 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:18-21

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Sunday Scriptures — The Time Had Come

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While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough. Luke 2:6-7

The prophesies predicted the Son of God would be born in Bethlehem. And he was. But his parents, Mary and Joseph, were living in Nazareth. About one hundred miles away. How did this happen?

God. That’s how.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Roman government decreed a census would be taken. Everyone was to return to their ancestral homes to be counted. Bethlehem was Mary and Joseph’s ancestral home. A very pregnant Mary, and her husband, Joseph, made the trek. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet Micah foretold.

God is Sovereign. All nations are under him. His plans will be accomplished according to his divine will, using whatever means he sees fit. Even an occupying nation’s census.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Important Enough

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In a time in history when women had very little value in society, and were considered property of their fathers and husbands, the book of Matthew included the names of five woman important enough to be recorded in Jesus’ genealogy.

Tamar. A Gentile, whose desire to be part of God’s people and share in the promise given to Judah, pushed her to resort to trickery to have her father-in-law honor his promise to her. (Genesis 38)

Rahab. A Gentile prostitute living in Jericho, who believed in the God who led his people out of Egypt, was saved when she helped two Israelite spies escape. (Joshua 2)

Ruth. Another Gentile. A woman from Moab who chose to identify herself with God’s people when she accompanied her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem after both were widowed. (Ruth)

Bathsheba. Dead Uriah’s wife. (2 Samuel 11)

Mary. The virgin chosen to carry within her womb the Son of God. Of whom was born Jesus. (Luke 1)

Five women. Five different backgrounds. Five different stories. Different personal lives. Different status. Different nationality. It didn’t matter to God. He used each of them, regardless. God’s grace crossed man-made boundaries. It crossed sins. It crossed loss.

What did each woman have? Faith. Faith in a God bigger than themselves. Faith in a God who took their brokenness and brought something wonderful out of it. Faith in a God who deals in redemption and grace. Faith in a God who is faithful even when we are not. Faith in a God who keeps his promises even when we do not.

God’s still in the business of restoration, redemption, and grace. He still uses broken and battered people to achieve his goals. He still loves unconditionally even when we may not be so lovable at times.

Feeling broken, cracked, rejected, defeated?

Just as God used these five women, he can use us. We can all be redeemed, and put back together through his grace. All we have to do is have faith enough to say yes to God, and his son, Jesus Christ.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. Matthew 1:3, 5-6, 16

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Sunday Scriptures — A Thousand Years Later

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The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”  Luke 1:30-33

A thousand years after the rule of King David, God decided it was time. It was time for his son, Jesus, Immanuel – God with us – to be born.

God could have chosen any time, any place, any woman. But he chose this time. This place. This woman.

The Creator of the universe did not choose for his son to be born during the hey day of Jerusalem. He did not choose for his son to be born in a palace. He did not choose for the mother of his son to be of the ruling elite.

No.

God chose a time when his people were under foreign rule. He choose a feeding trough in a stable. And he chose Mary, a humble peasant girl, decendent of David, to bring the Savior of the world into the world.

Just goes to show God can, and will, use whatever, and whomever, he wants to accomplish his plan. Even us.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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