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| Image by Bruno De Bondt |
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A GREETING
Teach me your way, O God,
that I may walk in your truth;
(Psalm 86:11a)
A READING
Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth
(Matthew 2:14-15a;19-23a)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
(Luke 2:19)
A REFLECTION
O come, O come Lord. Come and again break open our hearts like only a baby can do. Come and again be born in straw and mud and show us God’s preferential option for the ordinary, the small, the unnoticeable among us. Come and again show us what we always seem to forget - that the divine is so often concealed within the common.
- from "O Antiphons, the extended dance re-mix,"
a blog post by Nadia Bolz-Weber
VERSE OF THE DAY
For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God in the light of life.
(Psalm 56:13)
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| "Rest on the Journey into Egypt" by Luc-Olivier Merson (1880) (click on image to enlarge) |
Today marks the last in our series of three Saturdays that reflect on the life of Mary the mother of Jesus before, during and after the birth of Jesus. Today’s reading wraps that of yesterday, taking place just before and after the slaughter of the innocents.
In the visitation scenes of the shepherds, angels and eventually Wise Ones, we hear that Mary pondered all these things in her heart. But what is she pondering on the road to Egypt, on the road to Israel, and on the road to Nazareth? The holy family are on the move so much in these weeks, that they could hardly have set up home in any of the places they’ve been. How has her ‘pondering’ continued in the midst of their migrations?
The Greek word being translated as ‘ponder’ has a number of meanings, including ‘to confer’ and ‘to encounter.’ In its uses with Mary it means that she is literally talking to herself, as we all do when life is full (and at other times as well). She is encountering herself, reviewing who she is now, reflecting and thinking.
In Luc-Olivier Merson's painting, "Rest on the Flight into Egypt", the artist imagines Mary and Jesus sleeping, cradled within the Sphinx of Giza. The sphinx lends to the holy family from within its own cultural context, the sense of a lion's strength and a king's intelligence. The painting depicts both the exhaustion of the family, and hope for a new life.
"Do not be afraid" — how many times did Mary hear these words during her time of pregnancy and birth? When fear grips the heart, it can sometimes feel like there is no choice but to fear. Having experienced so deeply the visitation from Gabriel and the encounter with Elizabeth, and having been capable of so powerful a song of gratitude as the Magnificat, no doubt Mary clung to the God of promise that had been given to her as a way of overcoming her fear. In Calla Kinglit’s song, we hear that even in the midst of agonizing anxiety, clinging to the love of God can keep us steady. She also relied on Joseph in their everyday lived reality. His significance in these days is met by becoming the only one in the New Testament to receive an angelic visitation in dreaming three times. He seems to have had a gift for dreaming, and God made use of that gift.
When have you had to rely on faith to keep yourself going, despite many signs that more suffering lay ahead? How does God continue to uphold you through changing better times?
The next devotional day is Monday, December 30th.
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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!