It’s Christmastime. It’s the season when we remember the birth of our Savior. It’s also the time when we naturally think of Jesus’ mother, Mary. To help us celebrate Christmas appropriately as men, I have a hypothetical question: If Mary attended your church, how would you treat her?
Perhaps one way to answer that question is to review the three most significant events in Mary’s life: Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ crucifixion and the founding of the church. Here are three snapshots that span the life of Mary.
Mary Singing (Luke 1:46-55)
Our first scene opens in Bethlehem. Like any mother, Mary was ecstatic at the birth of her son. But Mary was even more so than most since she knew his miraculous origin, divine nature and ultimate purpose. Mary even wrote a song about it. It’s often called Mary’s Magnifcat. In it she thanks God that He has been”mindful of my humble state.”
Mary Weeping (John 19:26-27)
Our second scene takes us to the foot of the cross. Mary watched as her son was tortured and killed by unrighteous men. But even in that moment, God was “mindful of her humble state” and provided for her. Jesus, as he hung dying on the cross for the sins of humanity, paused to give John the responsibility of caring for his mother. We read “from that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
Mary Praying (Acts 1:12-14)
Our third and final scene reveals Mary praying in the upper room. Jesus has risen from the dead. Pentecost and the founding of the church are about to happen. His followers are electrified with expectation. “They all joined together in prayer,” we’re told, “along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
So there you have it: Mary singing, Mary weeping, Mary praying. And I’m sure if I asked you how you would treat her if she attended your church, you would respond, “She is the mother of Jesus, of course we would treat her as if she were our own mother, just like John did.”
But did you know that in one sense Mary does attend your church. Mary, whose name means “bitter,” represents all widows and single mothers who have come to believe in her son. That single mom standing with her children, arms lifted in songs of praise, as they worship in the pew in front of you, is a Mary. That widow, who goes home to a vacant house after saying goodbye to you in the church foyer’ she too is a Mary, for she weeps at night in an empty bed. That fatherless daughter in your church youth group who prays that her parents will reunite is a Mary as well.
Yes, Mary singing, Mary weeping, Mary praying does indeed attend your church.
So let me ask the question again: How do you and your church treat these Marys? I hope that, just as you would care for the original Mary, so you would also care for your own Marys as though they were your own mother, your own sister, your own daughter. That just as God remembered the “humble state” of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, so you also would remember the humble state of the Marys in your church.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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