Of Mary and Signposts (Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent; 12-12-10)

Luke 1:39-56


Mary is a bit of an enigma for we Protestants, or more accurately we non-Roman Catholic Christian Westerners. Though our Methodist lineage is not quite the same as that of other Protestant denominations in the world, we too were influenced by the events of the Reformation, though perhaps in some unique ways. But one thing that did carry over is that, for the average person in the pew at least, there used to be a bit of an aversion to things “Popish” and smelling of veneration.



I remember when, as a teenager, Memorial got a new pastor. Now my Grandparents thought the world of this pastor, thought she was all kinds of sweetness rolled into a neat little robe and stole package. But this new pastor was a liturgical type, much like myself. And one of the first things she did in her new pastoral role was reintroduce the procession of the Cross and Bible at the beginning of the service.

For all the love my Grandfather had for this new pastor, this was a bit hard to swallow. Grandpa was raised in a different era; some of you were perhaps raised in that same era, or one shortly following after it. And in the times which Grandpa was raised, there was a tendency for people to be a bit more anti-catholic. In fact, I remember that both of my Grandparents told me that whenever they started dating one another and it started to become serious, one of the first questions they were asked by their parents about the other person was “they aren’t a catholic, are they?”

So, when the new pastor first placed the processional at the beginning of the service, Grandpa’s justification for not liking it was “it’s not like we’re Catholic.”

Now, we live in a different era these days, an era in which a small, out of the way UMC parish can have a great relationship with a few Roman Catholic nuns down the road. We live in an era which is “post-ecumenical movement.”

But, I think, sometimes, when it comes to the topic of Mary, the old American-Protestant hairs still tend to stand up on the backs of some of our necks. Like my Grandpa, our knee-jerk reaction may be to say “it’s not like we’re Catholic.”

And yet, clearly, based on passage for this week, there is something definitely worthwhile that can come from us taking a serious look at the life of Mary and her part in the life of Christ.

So, it might do us well first to familiarize ourselves a bit with Mary. What do we know about her? What was she like? Where did she come from? What was going on in her life before the Annunciation?

Well, the New Testament, while clearly holding Mary in high-esteem, tells us very little about her as a person. She’s mentioned 21, arguably 22 (if you count Revelations), times in the Bible; 3 of those times she’s not named but described as “the Mother of Jesus.“

But what do we know about her? Obviously, we know she was a virgin. Now why was this important? Well, in a theological sense it’s not. Or at least it’s not terribly important. However, first, it shows the supernatural aspect of His birth. And that’s important- miracles like this one never seem to be quite so much “necessary” in the rational sense of the word (i.e. theologically) , but instead are usually “necessary” in a much more emotional way.

Additionally, it was important insofar as it relates to what Matthew considered to be a prophecy of Christ, the passage of Isaiah 7:14 “Behold the virgin shall bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel.”

So, we know that she was a virgin. We also know that she was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. Now, betrothal in first century Judaism was a much different beast than our paltry “engagements” today. Betrothed couples were just as legally bound as a married couple, they just didn’t live together yet. This is why Joseph planned to “divorce” Mary before he himself was visited by an angel, rather than simply break off the arrangement.

This tells us that Mary was likely very young, perhaps 13 or 14 when she became pregnant. More importantly, however, it tells us that Mary trusted God in spite of what would have appeared to her likely to be a terrible scandal. Here she was, young and betrothed to a man who, while not rich, could certainly make a living. She may have even been in that same “excited frame of mind” which I mentioned last week with regards to engaged couples.

Perhaps she dreamt of living in her new home with her husband, little children running around the table he had built. Perhaps she imagined special things he might make for her, paying special attention to detail to show his care. And in one moment she had gone from bride-to-be and stepped into the future of a potentially unwed mother in a culture which was likely not comforting and caring towards such women. But Mary trusted still.

Lastly, we know from the New Testament that Mary accompanied her Son throughout much of his earthly ministry. She shows up at the wedding at Cana, at the famous story where Jesus asks “who are my mother and brothers,” even unto His death, where John tells us that she too was at the foot of the Cross. And finally, it is recorded in Acts that she as well was at the meeting with the disciples in the upper room. The New Testament affirms that the faith which had such a great beginning persisted throughout her life.

Outside the Scriptures, various traditions have been handed down through the ages with regards to Mary; some perhaps rooted in reality, others slightly more implausible.

One of these traditions tells us that Mary was born to older parents, named Joachim and Anne. Another tradition tells us that Mary remained a perpetual virgin after Christ’s birth. Our own John Wesley, in fact, believed this to be the case, as did Martin Luther and other early reformers.

Now, aside from the basic facts (names, places, et cetera) which the Scriptures tell us about Mary, what else do we know about her story from it’s pages?

Well, we know that of the 21 or 22 times in the NT in which she’s mentioned, she has only 3 “speaking parts,” not including Luke’s story of the time when Jesus went missing and was found at the temple.

The first time we hear Mary speak, of course, is at the Annunciation itself. First, when told that she would have a child, she asks how this is possible since she has “not known a man.” When informed that she would be overshadowed by the Power of God, she replies with the wonderful words which prefigure her Son’s words in the Garden of Gethsemane. She replies “be it unto me according to thy word.”

The second instance follows shortly after, in the Canticle of Mary. This, of course, is part of our reading for today. Let us look at it again:

46And Mary said,

   (H) "My(I) soul(J) magnifies the Lord,
 47(K) and my(L) spirit rejoices in(M) God my Savior,
48for(N) he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
   For behold, from now on all generations(O) will call me blessed;
49for(P) he who is mighty(Q) has done great things for me,
   and(R) holy is his name.
50And(S) his mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
51(T) He has shown strength with his arm;
   (U) he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52(V) he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
   (W) and exalted those of humble estate;
53he has filled(X) the hungry with good things,
   and the rich(Y) he has sent away empty.
54He has(Z) helped(AA) his servant Israel,
   (AB) in remembrance of his mercy,
55(AC) as he spoke to our fathers,
   (AD) to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

She points to all the wonderful things which God has done both for her, for Israel, and for the all the world, both throughout history and in the coming birth of Christ.

The final instance of Mary speaking is at the Wedding in Cana recorded by John in his Gospel. In this story, Mary first intercedes with her Son on behalf of the wedding party, who has run out of wine. But, her next words interest me more; she turns to the servants and tells them “Do whatever He tells you.”

In each of these instances, I want you to notice what Mary does: she points beyond herself. She does not look to herself, or call attention to herself, but calls attention to God and to her Son.

At the annunciation, Mary does not pray what William Barclay called “the world’s most commonest prayer,” that is “my will be done.” Instead she prays the prayer of faith, the petition we find in the Lord’s Prayer, she prays “thy will be done.” She prays “be it unto me,” not according to my word, but “according to THY WORD.”

In the canticle she does not say “this is why I am great, this is what I have done.” In fact, she says that all generations will “call me blessed,” that is, someone whom has been given a gift, someone whom grace has acted upon. Instead of focusing on herself, she draws our attention to what God has done/is doing. For her, it is all about Him. And at the Wedding in Cana, she does not say “hey, I’ve got an idea, let’s try this.” Instead of saying “listen to me, listen to me,” she tells them “do whatever HE tells you.” She points beyond herself to Christ.

Mary, in essence, acts as a signpost to God. She points to whatever God is doing and what He is about; she proclaims how great He is, she proclaims His love, mercy, and strength.

We need Marys in our world, we need signposts that will point beyond themselves and remind us of the love of God. I know I’ve talked about it before, and I’ll probably talk about it a hundred times hence, but we need these things because we have a tendency to forget; not in an intellectual sense, perhaps, but again, in an emotional sense.

We come to Church, we are reminded of the words of the Gospel, we receive the sacrament, we sing God’s praises. But then, we walk out the doors, we get in our cars, we turn on our radios, we hear the news, we worry, or we get angry, and that’s just the start. As we go through the week we go to work, we make our meals, we go to sleep and wake up, and over time, our memory of the grace of God slowly ebbs away; not all at once, not without momentary partial returns, but it does, bit by bit, we forget.

So, in kindness to us, God plants signposts, things which point us to Him again and again, which remind us to look away from ourselves and towards Him. And, I find it odd, but He seems to like to plant them in strange places.

Like Mary, a young girl of meager means, certainly not a queen, not the sort of person who you’d expect to bear the God-Man into the world. And yet hidden amongst these humble means is the mother of God, the woman given enough faith to lack self-interest when God calls. Or like Christ in the stable, all the glory of God contained within a tiny, frail body, exposed to the cold, to the stench of animals, the itch of the hay. Or in the great moment of weakness and suffering, in the death on a cross, where yet all the glory, mercy, and love of God is revealed.

So, I’ll ask you, where have you, perhaps, found some of these signposts? Do you look for them? What are or where are they for you? One obvious answer is in the Scriptures, the word of God revealed to us, written down, something available to most anyone here most anytime of the day. Another might be in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where we come into the very presence of Christ Himself, and are reminded that His body was broken for us, His blood shed for us.

But there are others as well, not sacraments perhaps, but sacramentals at least. These may include things like your family, your friends, familiar places, and anything which we are made wise enough to see as a blessing from God.

Christmas itself is a signpost, a reminder that God Himself came down from Heaven to become one of us, to live amongst us, warts and all, and to unite us to Himself through the same love which exists within Himself between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christmas draws us to look not to ourselves, but to God’s love, for all of us, every living creature which He has made.

Cling to these things and the message they contain, read the signposts and look where they tell you, be reminded of God and His mercy. As has been said before, but I forget now by who, “place yourself in the pathways of the means of grace.”




PRAYER: And now God, as you remind us of your constant mercy, love, and wonderfulness, by means of signposts in our midst, send us out and use us, that we may be signposts to others of these same things, in Jesus name. Amen.