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Mary

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Mary's First Lesson in Discipleship (Luke 1:26-38) Luke 1:26-38 O [26] In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, [27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28] The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." O [29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. [30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. [31] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" O [35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. [36] Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. [37] For nothing is impossible with God." [38] "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left

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Mary was Jesus' first disciple. What motivates her response to God? What is our response as disciples when God asks something difficult of us? The passage tells us four things about Mary: 1. The facts of Mary's life 2. The fear in Mary's heart 3. The wonder in Mary's mind 4. The submission in Mary's spirit.

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The Facts of Mary's Life (1:26-28) O "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'" (1:26-28) O The Angel's announcement takes place six months after Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. Mary lived in the village of Nazareth, in the hilly area southwest of the Sea of Galilee. We're also told that Mary was a virgin, betrothed but not yet married. This gives us some clues about her age, since we know from contemporary sources that young women often were betrothed for a full year before the actual marriage ceremony took place, and that she was probably a very young teenager. O Her husband-to-be is Joseph, who is a descendent of Israel's greatest king, David. Mary's ancestry is more complex. We know that Mary's relative Elizabeth was a descendent of the original high priest, Aaron, of the tribe of Levi (1:5). But Mary also may be a descendent herself of David of the tribe of Judah on her father's side (1:32), and Luke's genealogy (3:23-38) may actually trace Mary's lineage, though this is disputed. [2] What fascinates me, however, is Mary's interior life.

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The Fear in Mary's Heart (1:29-30) O "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.'" (1:29-30) O As a teenager, Mary is quite taken aback by the Angel Gabriel's words: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Luke says that Mary was greatly troubled. Was Mary afraid? Whenever we meet something new and strange, we get confused. The patterns we're used to are disrupted, and little alarms go off in our head. That's the way God made us to respond to change; it's a kind of built-in conservatism and defense mechanism. O But while this alarm system that Mary felt is normal and healthy, there is a dangerous -- and sinful -- kind of fear that can grip and control us. People often live in fear of death, fear of a spouse leaving, fear of sickness, fear they won't be able to pay their bills. When fear lives in us, as opposed to being a momentary reaction to something new, we become warped. We respond to situations out of fear rather than out of faith and make pretty poor disciples. We must resist entrenched fear for it is the breeding ground for unbelief; it must not control us. When we study our passage, we see that Mary accepted the angel's "Fear not" at face value.

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The Wonder in Mary's Mind (1:31-34) O "'You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.' 'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'" (1:31-34) O Some people say we shouldn't question God, but Mary did. She asked "How?" Questions cause us to grow and learn. Questions stretch our minds and hearts and increase our understanding. Questions and the exploration for their answers contribute to our faith, even if the questions themselves may ultimately go unanswered. Mary's question arose from faith, not doubt. What would your response to the Angel be? Faith or unbelief?

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The Submission in Mary's Spirit (1:35-38) O "The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.' 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her." (1:35-38) O Every time I read Mary's response to the Angel's announcement and explanation, I am awed: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Here is a teenager facing misunderstanding and rejection from her family, her betrothed, and her townspeople. And yet she agrees. Mary affirms the bedrock truth that undergirds our discipleship: "I am the Lord's servant." After all is said and done, after we have explored all the possibilities, we still must decide: am I a servant or a master? Is my allegiance to the Lord or to my own desires? O Sometimes it takes great turmoil in our souls to come to the place of submission, but come to it we must. Even before Jesus was conceived, Mary was faced with the decision: Will I obey and make way for this King? or Will I take the easy way that avoids difficulty and pain? To her everlasting credit, Mary's response of faith is what our response must be: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

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In Christianity Mary is the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. She is the subject of much veneration in the Christian faith, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church, and is also highly regarded by Muslims.(www.ancientscripturegallery.com)

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Pieta, sculpture by Michelangelo, show the Virgin Mary holding the body of her dead son. This theme is repeated numerous times throughout art history.(www. Artlex.com)

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The Roman Catholic practice of saying the rosary began with St. Dominics apparition of Mary in 1214. Several other saints and popes have received messages from Jesus and Mary regarding the importance of the rosary. Saying the rosary is considered a devotion to Mary.

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The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art. It is a common devotion for Catholics to say daily a Hail Mary for each.Hail Mary O The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus. (Gospel of Luke 2:34)ProphecySimeonInfant JesusGospel of Luke O The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Gospel of Matthew 2:13)Flight into EgyptHoly FamilyGospel of Matthew O The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days O The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross.Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26) O The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. The Crucifixion (Gospel of John 19:25)Gospel of John O The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57) The Descent from the Cross O The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)Burial

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The Seven Joys of the Virgin are also a popular devotion to Mary, commemorating the joyous events of her life. O The Annunciation The Annunciation O The Nativity of Jesus The Nativity of Jesus O The Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi O The Resurrection of Christ The Resurrection of Christ O The Ascension of Christ to Heaven The Ascension of Christ to Heaven O The Pentecost or Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary The Pentecost O The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven The Coronation of the Virgin

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3OIQv2Av4 O http://abcnews.go.com/International/report ed-visions-virgin-mary-draw-hordes-bosnian- village/story?id=13979679 http://abcnews.go.com/International/report ed-visions-virgin-mary-draw-hordes-bosnian- village/story?id=13979679 O News Report about Apparitions of Mary