Mary

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Luke 1:42(Elizabeth).

Pastor Joel mentioned that his parents bought a Nativity set. His father had to make one correction before placing them on their lawn. Mary had a halo over her head! So he sawed it off. Catholics and Evangelicals have treated this verse very differently. Evangelicals just kind of ignore the first part. To focus on Mary seems "so catholic".

Mary comes into Luke's narrative when the angel Gabriel breaks the news to her that she'd become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit with Jesus. Mary's response to this shocking news was "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants..." Luke 1:38. Mary had no idea what the future would hold. She didn't know that Joseph had an earthshaking dream with instructions to marry her in spite of the potential fall-out. He was willing to be the safe umbrella Mary needed and the surrogate father to Jesus.

In "A Bonhoeffer Advent Reflection: “Mary”, Joel Willistts writes that Bonhoeffer considers Luke 1:46-55 as the oldest Advent hymn. "...It is the most passionate, most vehement, one might say, most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. It is not the gentle, sweet, dreamy Mary that we so often see portrayed in pictures, but the passionate, powerful, proud, enthusiastic Mary, who speaks here. None of the sweet, sugary, or childish tones that we find so often in our Christmas hymns, but a hard, strong, uncompromising song of bringing down rulers from their thrones and humbling the lords of this world, of God’s power and of the powerlessness of men. These are the tones of the prophetic women of the Old Testament: Deborah, Judith, Miriam, coming alive in the mouth of Mary."

No wonder we have such a strong claim in The Chaldean Creed: "...of Mary the Virgin, the Godbearer, one and same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures..." Mary has a very esteemed role in fulfillment of the OT prophecies. It took a gutsy, spirit-led woman to be willing to give birth, raise and walk with Jesus right to the end of his earthly life. Mary was Jesus' first disciple!

Muslims have a high regard for Maryam(Mary). In fact, she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an. Surah 19 is dedicated to Maryam. It too confirms the virgin birth. Even though this Surah is considered by Muslims to be somewhat like Luke 1, it lacks the historical details and the reason behind God's intervention. One of the emphasis is on denying the divine nature of Jesus, the Messiah. It wants the listener to be convinced that Jesus was merely another prophet sent with a book.

Pastor Joel summarizes "Why is the virgin birth so important?
1. The virgin birth is a reminder that our salvation is supernatural.
2. If God can work seemingly impossible in the matter of the virgin birth, he is also able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of granting a new birth to sinners.
3. The uniqueness of the virgin birth reveals the character of the Messiah and the nature of the kingdom."

Dear Lord, birth in me a greater sense of Mary's willingness to be part of your great plan to bring Salvation to Muslims. Amen.

Belonging

Brother Nathan shared about Ministry to Muslims (click) in Great Britain. We came up with some thoughts about a 'Muslim Background Believer'(Mbb) friendly church.

Once the news gets out that Ahmed, a former Muslim is following Christ and has been baptized, it's 'game-over' for his connections to the wider 'ummah'. He will no longer be invited to Muslim community events like weddings or Eid parties. Ahmed can't even take part in a funeral. His own family will likely desert him because of the unforgiveable shame he has brought on them.

As a result, believers like Ahmed need to belong to a body of 'Christ followers'. Otherwise they will be like spiritual orphans and are left vulnerable.

When Ahmed steps into church, he is crossing huge personal barriers. During his whole life he was told Islam is superior to Christianity. Now he embraces the Good News but wonders if we will accept him. We as believers need to be there to welcome him--the more the merrier. My single Turkish believer friend Eyad has tried visiting churches. When no-one greeted him after a few tries, he gave up. In any fellowship, people who have cultural sensitivity are as good as gold. Like 'attentive waiters' in a restaurant, they anticipate the needs of the Mbb newcomer or a seeker in church and do something about it.

It's helpful if the pastor understands Ahmed's mindset and needs. We normally give our pastor a heads up if a Muslim or a new believer plans to come to church for the first time. Lately, our pastor prepared abbreviated sermon notes. It's easier to guide the visitor to the right passage so he can follow along. We also like to introduce our guest to the pastor. It makes the guest feel special. Mbb's generally look up to a pastor and will very quickly trust one that cares for him. We also sense teamwork between us and the pastor.

I smiled at a line on a resume of a 'not-yet-follower of Christ' who was volunteering at a Salvation Army's food program and described his responsibility there as 'community missionary'! If we apply this to church...it goes a long way to include an Mbb in the community life of the church after it becomes obvious that he is settling there. Once he feels secure, his voice will be heard in sharing times. Ahmed has a new identity now--he is one of us...a child of God. We call him our brother.

My believer friend Qureshi from conservative Pakistan visited 'America' in the summertime. When his host took him to church, he was seated next to a young lady with a very short skirt. The poor guy, he didn't know where to look! As an 'attentive waiter', I'll try to lead Ahmed to a group that normally dresses modestly.

Other distractions include loud music, Bibles lying on the floor or a service being very casual including humor. These are some shocking adjustments the new believer has to make. When we sense that something is going over his head in church, we take the time to explain and fill in the gaps. We try to lead the way for Ahmed to feel at home in the family of God and grow in Christ.

Dear Jesus, thank-you for the opportunity to serve by welcoming new believers. Their presence enriches us. Amen.