Mary's vocation... and yours

Verse for the week: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”  Luke 1.46-47

Prayer for the 3^rd week of Advent: “Almighty God, you once called John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. Grant us the wisdom to see your purpose today and the openness to hear your will, that we too, may witness to Christ’s coming and so prepare his way for our neighbor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Luke 1.26-38 (note: The story is so familiar to us that perhaps we forget how troublesome and yet freeing is God’s planned interruption.)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the miracle that you chose to become a man in flesh just as frail as ours… and that you choose ordinary sinners like Mary, Joseph, and me as your vessels. Repent me of wanting my plans, my will, over yours. You gave Mary her vocation in that most important of all settings: the family… her calling as a mother and wife… and then you worked outward from there to extend your kingdom. Please do the same with me Lord; in Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to popular hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJO6nH7fL2A

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?

I believe that Jesus Christ — true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, and has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with silver and gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true!  (from The Small Catechism by Martin Luther, ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction: Blessing and honor and thanksgiving and praise, more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O holy and glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by all angels, all people, all creatures, forever and ever. Amen. (Thomas Ken quoted in Frederick B. Macnutt, The Prayer Manual   London: Mowbray, 1951, p.39)

*The T.R.I.P. approach to prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray.  It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria, MN www.dailytext.com).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:

T: thanksgiving

R: regret (repentance)

I: intercession (asking God to take a specific action)

P: plan or purpose

Reading a biblical text and then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on God’s Word and talk to God.