Mary, did you know? (A little more about gift-giving…)

I have a love/hate relationship with the Christmas song, “Mary, did you know”. It humanizes the story of Mary as the mother of Christ, but it is also pretty schmaltzy. (Dictionary.com defines ‘schmaltzy’ as “exaggeratedly sentimental”. I’ll go with that one.)

But, I love the story of Mary and Elizabeth, and I got to preach on them hanging out to share in their role in the Christ story. ‘Schmaltzy’ often comes to mind when I reflect on their portrayal in Nativity shows and movies. Mild, scared, quiet, hidden, almost weak. The biblical account as we see in the book of Luke is a little different, especially when you consider Mary’s statement right after being informed that she would be the mother of the anointed one:

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The more I read her encounter with the angel, then Elizabeth prophesying what this all meant, ‘weak’ is not the first word to come to mind. In fact, it is pretty powerful. “I understand the assignment; let it be.” That is a faith statement if I ever heard one. She would carry the gift to the world and she goes on to proclaim the power of this moment for people to quote and believe for generations to come. Her humble presence in the story is a gift to us today, and it is by no means weak or quiet.

So, to continue in my thread of gift-giving posts, here is a few items I see in the gift-giving of both Mary and Elizabeth. I feel these are true to that moment in history, found in Luke chapter 1, as they are true to the work of God as a gift in our lives today

1. Prophetic – Speaks into the context and the life of those who receive. It speaks life into those within reach. (Mary and Elizabeth meet; Elizabeth acknowledges Mary’s belief) 

2. Blessing – It both humbles and strengthens the one who receives it. In doing so, it returns as a blessing to the one who gave it. (Mary receiving her role [v. 38] and the following prophetic ‘Magnificat’) 

3. Disruption – A gift is not easily predetermined! A good gift brings surprise and interrupts what we thought was normal. Even when given on a special occasion, with the knowledge that there might be something coming our way, a gift disrupts our path and causes us to reflect. 

A gift changes us, our trajectory, our story. It brings humility, and exalts the lowly, all at once. It speaks into our context. It is a blessing. It causes a disruption to your ‘normal’.

May this Christmas be filled with many moments of gifting in ways you never even imagined!