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| Image by Miltos Gikas |
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A GREETING
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify God with thanksgiving.
(Psalm 69:30)
A READING
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name. Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you. You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty. You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful of your mercy— the promise you made to our ancestors — to Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:49-55 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi,
and like rose-bushes in Jericho;
like a fair olive tree in the field,
and like a plane tree beside water I grew tall.
(Sirach 24:14)
A POEM
This was the moment no one speaks of,
when she could still refuse.
A breath unbreathed,
Spirit,
suspended,
waiting.
She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’
Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’
She did not submit with gritted teeth,
raging, coerced.
Bravest of all humans,
consent illumined her.
The room filled with its light,
the lily glowed in it,
and the iridescent wings.
Consent,
courage unparalleled,
opened her utterly.
- Excerpted from "Annunciation," by Denise Levertov
first published in her collection, "Door in the Hive."
VERSE OF THE DAY
The human spirit is the lamp of God, searching every inmost part.
(Proverbs 20:27)
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| "Olive Trees," by Vincent Van Gogh (1889) |
On three Saturdays (today, the 21st and the 28th), we will pause to reflect on the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, before the Annunciation, during her time of pregnancy and after the birth. As we consider the birth of Jesus as a time of New Creation, what insight does Mary offer us in our ongoing reflection on seeds and plants?
Mary is often associated with flowers, including the lily, the periwinkle, the rose, the iris and more. But in tying Mary to the land of Nazareth, a more appropriate plant to consider might be the olive. Mary and Joseph were most likely farmers, growing olives and grapes and perhaps grain. In a time when Herod exacted heavy taxes on all agricultural harvests, most people were left without much left over. What we often miss in the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem is that the taxes they were to pay would have been levied in animals and grain. How does it change how we read the Magnificat to think of Mary as a peasant farmer who has lived under the long arm of oppression?
When the olive is considered, immediately there are many threads of connection with Mary’s family life. Joseph most likely worked with olive wood when he was doing carpentry. Jesus would spend hours in prayer on the Mount of Olives, including in the Garden of Gethsemane, an olive grove. The tomb of Mary is in a sepulchre, also on the Mount of Olives.
The olive branch is a symbol of peace: the dove that Noah sends out from the ark comes back with one. Our Lady of Olives is a name for Mary, and the olive here symbolically represents her strength. Olives were a primary crop of Nazareth. When St. Francis of Assisi introduced the narrative of a ‘creche’ scene, with the holy family surrounded by animals, he was returning Mary and Joseph to the agrarian aspect of their lives, under a great oppression. They lived under a tyrannical ruler, who would only become more frightening after Jesus was born.
The proclamation Mary makes as she agrees to carry the child -- is a celebratory vision of what it means to be liberated. Her “yes” comes with a vision: the world is about to become a place where justice is a way of life. Her “yes” is the seed of the world to come: a single word that will enclose the Word made flesh.
How can we reframe our stereotypical ideas about Mary to embolden and humanize more deeply her profound role? What does Mary mean to you?
The next devotional day is Monday, December 16th.
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LC† Seeds of Hope is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!