Preggers With Grace and Truth

What’s the big deal about the virgin Mary? In my opinion she gets more press than she desrves. It is important to acknowledge that she, as a virgin, did give birth to Jesus, but this didn’t make her sinless or better than anyone else; and it doesn’t set her above Jesus in holiness.

Mary is just like you and me.

Throughout hundreds of years it has been belived that Mary, the mother of God, was full of grace, making her sinless and equipping her to provide others with grace for the salvation of their souls. This is a distortion. Mary played an important role in God’s story of rescue and restoration, but it did not exalt her to the level of perfection above the rest of mankind.

She’s just like you and me.

The idea that Mary is set apart from the rest of humanity is based on a misinterpretation of a verse in the Gospel of Luke. An angel appeared to Mary to reveal the part she would play in God’s plan to redeem humanity and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” And a couple verses later reiterates, ” Mary, you have found favor with God.” It’s understandable that some would interpret this in such a way that would place Mary on a pedestal over and above the rest of mankind. God doesn’t just show up on any ‘ol person’s doorstep claiming that they’re favored by Him, right?

Or does He?

As the story of Jesus’ birth progresses angels show up again, and this time the sky is packed out with them in all their winged and haloed swagger. They appear to a field full of unknown shepherds and sheep singing Handels Messiah and helping Anaheim win the world series. They actually came to make an important announce. Yes, Jesus was born, but this wasn’t the only good news they had for the Shepherds. The angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Mary was favored by God and so were a bunch of unnamed shepherds?

So, why don’t these guys get the attention Mary does?

It is because their part in the story wasn’t to give birth to Jesus, but only worship and proclaim His coming instead?

Mary and the shepherds are the same, they were just given different roles to play in God’s story. All they had to do was be faithful to their responsibility. If Mary had said “no” to the angel, God still would have come to earth in human form most likely through another virgin who was willing, but Mary was the one God wanted to use. All she had to was be faithful to the call. But her faithfulness didn’t make her holy, because all people, Mary, shepherds, you, me, criminals, and our enemies are favored by God – we all have been offered grace and truth through Jesus; and a part to play in God’s story of rescue and redemption.

Billy Graham is a world renown name. He has delivered God’s message of grace and truth to millions. He has been esteemed by men and women over the past 50+ years, but he is no more favored by God than anyone of us. He just has been faithful with the role God has set for him to play in His story.

John 1:14 says that Jesus came to earth full of grace and truth. When Jesus filled Mary’s womb she was literally filled with God’s grace and truth for all humanity. Jesus came to reveal the truth about God, the reality of our sin that separates us from Him, and what He’s done to rescue and restore us. And Jesus came to offer the grace of God to a broken and lost people incapable of saving and repairing our lives. When we accept  the truth about God and admit what has damaged our connection with Him we become the recipients of His grace – grace that can’t be earned but can forgive and heal our relationship with Him.

Essentially, when we let Jesus into our lives, we, like Mary, become pregnant with, full of, grace and truth. Our responsibility, then, like Mary, the shepherds, Billy Graham, and the multitude of other unnamed individuals who have told us about Jesus, is to reveal, expose, “give birth” (if you like), and offer the grace and truth of Jesus that we have received, to a world so desperate for the knowledge that everyone is favored by God so much that He would offer us grace and truth. We just have to be faithful with our role in God’s story.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Egg Nog :: Don’t hate!

:: Harris YMCA 5-1-5 Basketball Tournament :: Hooping to help the homeless in Charlotte. Well done fellas!

::: Slumdog Millionaire :: Saw it post-hype, and still liked it.

:::: Menno Simons :: A little church history for you to brew on over the weekend.

What do you take wherever you go?

Jesus gets a bad rap.

Some of the reasons for this are Christians, suffering, and misinterpretations. These reasons keep people from giving Jesus – His message and life a shot.

The Bible says in the book of John that Jesus came to earth with grace and truth. He came with grace – the love and forgiveness of God offered to all people, and He came with truth – the way to God out of sin.

Are these the things that give Jesus a bad name? Or is it the things we, who go in His name, bring to earth?

What do you bring wherever you go?

I’m going to the Dominican Republic as we speak. If I don’t go with the grace and truth of Jesus than I inevitably go forth with the bad news of Todd – pride, selfishness, and fear.

When you enter your office what do you bring? As the summer gets rolling what will you bring to it? When you wake up what will you bring to the day?

Go forth with the grace and truth of Jesus. The world is already full of enough bad news we don’t need yours and mine too.