Mary, the mother of Jesus, was like us in many ways.
I hated her. My mother would never let me use that word, but I hated that girl anyway. She was the one who said, her eyes and tone revealing disgust, “I like your pants.” They were hand-me-downs that I got from an older cousin, not quite up-to-date in terms of style.
That girl had new clothes all the time. She was the first one to get a pair of fashion boots. My legs were too skinny for fashion boots. Her hair was long, blonde and pretty. Parted in the middle, she could feather it back evenly on both sides. My hair was short, dark and dull.
That girl was popular. She had big birthday parties. She got a 10-speed bike before anyone else. Her family had a boat and went on vacations. She had everything. She was too perfect, so I hated her because I was not.
Maybe that’s why I find Mary to be so approachable in “Martin Luther’s Christmas Book.” She appears to be about as far from perfect as you can get. She’s not at all the girl I would have chosen to be anyone’s mother, much less our Lord’s. In fact, at first glance, using Mary seems like a really poorly devised plan.
According to Luther, she was awfully young, maybe as young as 13. We never think that girls having babies that young is a good idea; at that age they just don’t have the maturity it takes to raise a child, right?
Maybe if she had the support of her family, it could work out, but Luther strongly suggests that Mary was an orphan. Who would help her learn to care for a baby?
Mary belonged to an oppressed group of people, with zero social status. She was poor, probably performing household work just to get by.
No one around her had much to live on, either, so where was she going to come up with the resources to feed a child?
What was God thinking, sending an angel to speak to this girl from Nazareth?
There had to be better options available in the big capital city of Jerusalem, where all the really holy people hung out. Certainly there were plenty of other women there who had a great deal more potential for taking on a project of this magnitude.
Nothing to offer
As a candidate for the job Mother of God, Mary seems to have nothing to offer.
Nothing, that is, except her faith, and even that seems to be slightly less than ideal when she questions the angel, “How can this be?” (Luke 1:34). The fact that she even entertains such a ridiculous proposition is incredible, no, it’s inconceivable to me. But patiently she takes in the angel’s explanation; “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you … (Luke 1:35).
So how does Mary respond? She doesn’t say, “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.” or “I can’t help you with that because (fill-in-the-blank). She says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Mary was far from perfect from our perspective, but maybe that’s exactly what made her God’s perfect choice. She had nothing to offer but her very self. Through her faith and the work of the Holy Spirit, she serves as a vessel by which God brings forth a Savior.
Now, if God could initiate a plan to redeem the whole world through a nobody like Mary, what could God do with us? Mary isn’t the only one who has the Holy Spirit working in her. We, too, have received the Holy Spirit through our baptism. Imagine it! What has God conceived — in us?
When God calls to invite us to use the gifts we have been given, the ones that have been growing and developing in us, being fed and nourished by the power of the Holy Spirit, how do we respond? First, are we listening? If we do hear, do we ask for help or do we just make excuses?
Well, if you’re anything like me, you try to argue that you are lacking in time/talent/faith/money or whatever gifts you think someone else has more of.
But if we look to Mary’s example, we see that our argument doesn’t hold up, because it’s not about what we could do if we had more. It’s about what God can do with less.
“When the power of man fails, the power of God begins, provided faith is present and expectant.” (“Martin Luther’s Christmas Book”)
Let it be. Watch and see.
Anita Nuetzmann is a member of St. Petri Lutheran Church, Story City, Iowa. Anita is better known as the “churchlady” on her blog, “A Front Pew View.”
You might also want to read:
Finding favor with God
Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter comes to life
‘Let it be to us according to your Word’
Thank you for the vision of Mary as the innocent child with only herself to offer. A lesson for us all. I will offer one of my poems in response.
Luke 1:26-38
Mary! Mary!
And the voice was so soft
--Gentle
that she could not be sure
if this was a dream that had awoken her
--so gentle
Mary!
Awake my child
Awake to the promise
-----(Hail Mary)
given to you from of old
in the promise passed on
-----through Abraham
--------Isaac
-----------David
Men of Greatness
-----------and blessing
gone now
---except for the promise
---and the history
-----of God
---------acting in this world of humanity
past
--present
-----and all that is to come
focused now
--on this
-----one
--------innocent
------------young maiden
(full of grace)
from this part of the world so far from all
----that is considered greatness
----by all who are considered great
softly the voice speaks
Mary!
And the dream that has been dreamed
By all people
In every time
Has come
--------(the Lord is with you)
sprung from the loins of no man
is the one who is to come
carried safely now in the womb of
the one
---innocent
------child
to save
all
that the people of power and greatness have dreamed of
for themselves
carried safely now
--to bring light and hope to all people
God breaking forth in gentleness
And greatness
In a new way
Aided by just this one
-----(I am the Lord’s servant)
-----------innocent
-----(May it be with me as you have said)
---------------------child
So far as I can tell, Scripture never really nails Mary down on any real sin. The closest may be that she asks the angel in what manner the things the angel has said will take. Otherwise, there is nothing in Scripture suggesting she has done anything wrong.
I think declaring Mary "far from perfect" is problematic. It is on the one hand troubling for any of our fellow Christians in the RC or Orthodox tradition who hold that Mary was in fact born without the stain of original sin. And since Scripture doesn't say anything at all about Mary's sinfulness, only recognizing her faith, I guess I would want to push this meditation in another direction.
Unless, of course, you meant "far from perfect as a choice," as in there would have been better women to choose, if God were other than the God we know in Christ. But that is a hypothetical, and not something this post makes clear.
I'm not a theologian, but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once. I write from the point of view of a layperson, so cut me a little slack.
I'm actually not so much interested in Mary's lack of original sin anymore and I don't wish to go there. I am aware of its importance in other faith traditions. But what I did find fascinating was God's choice of her given the circumstances as they were described by Luther as well as her apparent hesitation (which I'm not equating with sinfulness). That this was a Mary I could identify with made me think maybe others could as well.
So, I thought it was useful for us as we live out our faith to take a look at her example and see how we might be able to apply it to our own responses to God's call.
Thank you, Pastor Dan, for your gift of poetry.
If someone wants to take a meditation in another direction, they should write their own. Thank you, Anita for this lovely very LUTHERAN reflection. It is no insult to be considered far from perfect.
I get tired of focusing on "perfect, sinless" Mary. She really can't teach me anything. I loved this reflection, Anita, because you are right. From today's perspective (and even from Mary's own time perspective), she wasn't the ideal choice.
The Mary that hesitates, I can relate to. I can learn from her faith. The Mary that was a ridiculously strong women when you really consider what she went through: public ridicule for getting knocked-up and at first without Joseph's protection until he wised up and got on board with the plan (which I can also relate to and learn from), the mere idea of riding a donkey while in labor (I barely handled a car ride while in labor!), giving birth, unattended in a barn?! This is one strong woman! I can learn from that Mary.
But, perfect, unassuming, Mary? Not much she can offer me. I'm not perfect, gentle, quiet, or immediately willing to follow God. I may have my moments, but on a whole, not so much. Yet, God used Mary so wonderfully. I loved your line, Anita, "We, too, have received the Holy Spirit through our baptism. Imagine it! What has God conceived — in us?" What, indeed? Praise God! Amen.
Anita, I think you nailed it with the Mary that is less than perfect being a Mary who is open to and acceptable by the majority of people in this world, especially the least, lost and lonely. The shepherds (lowest rung of society) being the first to know as well as the Maji (those at the top)being called to witness, Mary (young maiden whose greatest gift is being open to God's calling)not exactly woman of the year, and the son of God born as a homeless infant all lead to the notion that this Christ child is for all people. Thank you for your reflection Anita and keep up the good work.
Here is my 2 cents worth.
I never really focus on the birth, her sin or not etc or virginity or lack there of. This time of year makes me think of her as a mother and what did she feel or do knowing what she knew. God gives her the great gift of His Son. She raises Him, watches Him grow and knowing what she knows. Hoping beyond hope that He will be safe. He starts His ministry and so it begins. As we move from Nativity to Epiphany, Lent and then Maudy Thursday the anticipation of imminent death is coming. In the shadows is Mary, watching, knowing, seeing the turn of events and then when God gives the world His greatest gift ever, Mary makes the ultimate sacrifice and watches her son die slowly and painfully. I think we forget that sometimes and need to be reminded that Christ was divine but also human and He had a mother who watched it all and could not keep Him safe.
Joelle, can you help me find anywhere in Luther or the confessions where we say that Mary was "far from perfect" or sinful? I don't think it is Lutheran to make that claim. I enjoyed the spirit of this post, but didn't appreciate the specific claim about Mary.
not everything Lutheran is found in Luther's writings or the confessions. But at the least you could start with Simul justus et peccator.
Lutherans are often guilty of under-emphasizing what Roman Catholics overdo, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Marian devotion. There are dangers that attend Marian devotions of which Lutherans are rightfully wary. Lutherans desire, above everything else, to keep a focus on Christ and his benefits, and worry that attention to the saints and their intercessions may detract from Christ’s centrality and a right understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith.
However, most people, even if they are unfamiliar with the particulars of Marian devotion in Roman Catholic contexts, such as the pattern for praying the Rosary, or the meaning and nature of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, will nevertheless have read about the validation of Marian sightings by the Roman Catholic Church. In response, one historic Lutheran practice has been to shun any form of prayers or contemplation that in any way name or celebrate Mary. For proof of this point, ask yourself: “How many St. Mary Lutheran Churches are there?”
However, Martin Luther himself offered a middle way between the extremes of either idolizing Mary or denigrating her through inattention. The Lutheran confessional documents also offer this middle way, especially in the Formula of Concord, which declares, “On account of this personal union and communion of the natures, Mary, the most blessed virgin, did not conceive a mere, ordinary human being, but a human being who is truly the Son of the most high God, as the angel testifies. He demonstrated his divine majesty even in his mother’s womb in that he was born of a virgin without violating her virginity. Therefore she is truly the mother of God and yet remained a virgin” (Solid Declaration, article VIII.24).
Ya know, this whole Incarnation thing was all about coming into imperfect circumstances, dirty circumstances like a stable, human circumstances. Even BECOMING HUMAN. In the reflection's context, it doesn't insult Mary at all, but confirms the very point of God working through willing but imperfect vehicles like human beings.