The Cost of Carrying the Savior
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30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Here is the issue: This sounds sweet and loving and we make this sound like poof there was a baby, but child birth is painful. It’s messy, and it has its costs. Mary was almost put away by her fiance which is a nice way of saying dumped.
Mary was 14 years old at the time which, back then, was normal for people to wed. We give Mary credit for saying yes, but what we don’t talk about from the pulpit is the sacrifice Mary gave to give birth to the savior.
Poem By Kaitlin Hardy Shetler
sometimes I wonder
if Mary breastfed Jesus.
if she cried out when he bit her
or if she sobbed when he would not latch.
and sometimes I wonder
if this is all too vulgar
to ask in a church
full of men
without milk stains on their shirts
or coconut oil on their breasts
preaching from pulpits off limits to the Mother of God.
but then i think of feeding Jesus,
birthing Jesus,
the expulsion of blood
and smell of sweat,
the salt of a mother’s tears
onto the soft head of the Salt of the Earth,
feeling lonely
and tired
hungry
annoyed
overwhelmed
loving
and i think,
if the vulgarity of birth is not
honestly preached
by men who carry power but not burden,
who carry privilege but not labor,
who carry authority but not submission,
then it should not be preached at all.
because the real scandal of the Birth of God
lies in the cracked nipples of a
14 year old
and not in the sermons of ministers
who say women
are too delicate
to lead.
I thought about this for a moment. I’ve heard sermons on Joseph and what a man he was. I’ve heard sermons on Mary and the faith of saying yes, but what about
The Pain of Caring for Jesus
I remember my wife’s first pregnancy. She was champ, she was pushing, and she it was messy. Shayne was too big to fit through the birth canal. I remember being ushered out, down the hall, and told to wait in the hall right outside the surgical room.
At 24, I was scared, scared I would lose my wife, scared I would lose my son. My mind raced with thoughts of what life would be like as a single parent. Or worse yet what my life would be like without either of my most precious gifts. I don’t remember crying as much before or since I did that day. .Until the Dr. came out and said all is well.
But that was the beginning. Honestly that was the easy part. I feel inadequate to to preach this because, like all men, I was an onlooker much like Joseph. Mary carried the food. She woke up at all hours to the screaming baby. Her breasts were the ones that hurt when they were too full, or if Jesus nursed to much- bearing the pain of cracked nipples being pulled on constantly. She would have been the one waking up when it too quiet just to make sure Jesus was still breathing. She was there through the sick nights and early mornings.
Christmas morning for Mary changed her life. She didn’t run down to a tree full of presents like most 14 year old girls do today. No she suffered willingly. To be the vessel used to usher, hope, peace, and forgiveness to the world.
What should Christmas mean to us?
Interesting enough that this verse is found in chapter 14
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
If we are honest Christmas shouldn’t be celebrating, but rather a dedication to move mountains no matter the cost.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
If we belong to Christ the Spirit dwells in us. If we are carry the Spirit than we share the in the same burden Mary Shared when she carried Jesus. There is a level of responsibility for us to care for nurture the Spirit inside of us and to foster a place of growth within us, but also to share this Spirit and the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ despite the pain or rejection that may come with it.
Paul said He knew what it meant to be in lack and in excess. He knew what it was to suffer, but at all times he knew that it was Christ, not him, that gave him the strength to share the gospel and to change lives every day.
He preached despite being whipped. He loved despite losing friends. He stood for what was right despite being accused of with horrid acusations.
We may not ever experience the pain of Child birth but we should all share the burden of spreading the word of Christ. Of giving hope to the hopeless. Peace to the restless. Clothes to the naked and food to the hungry. We should all be doing our part to spread the word of Chris this Year. and into 2022.
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
The Gift
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
When we carry the burden we carry the promise