Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
—Genesis 22:8
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”
—Luke 1:46-48a
Hagar, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, the wife of Manoa, Hanna, Elizabeth: women for whom the the arrival of children went beyond the normal joy of childbirth. Promise or new hope or release from shame and desolation. In most cases, defying human expectation, in one way or another.
And then there's Mary. The most impossible, the most unexpected by human standards. But the most typical, the most expected from the Lord's perspective.
The complete fulfillment of His long-established pattern of compassion and care for the weakest, the poor, the unnoticed. Even the despised. His long-established pattern of doing for them what they could not possibly do for themselves. Fulfilled and represented by coming in the form of a helpless baby.
Elijah, refugee on the mountain of God, saw many things that appeared powerful: a rock-shattering wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord was in none of them. Instead, He spoke in a gentle whisper. The Roman army, the authority of the priests, and the influence of the Pharisees appeared powerful.
Son (part 4)
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
—Psalm 113:7-9
Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
—Genesis 22:8
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”
—Luke 1:46-48a
Hagar, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, the wife of Manoa, Hanna, Elizabeth: women for whom the the arrival of children went beyond the normal joy of childbirth. Promise or new hope or release from shame and desolation. In most cases, defying human expectation, in one way or another.
And then there's Mary. The most impossible, the most unexpected by human standards. But the most typical, the most expected from the Lord's perspective.
The complete fulfillment of His long-established pattern of compassion and care for the weakest, the poor, the unnoticed. Even the despised. His long-established pattern of doing for them what they could not possibly do for themselves. Fulfilled and represented by coming in the form of a helpless baby.
Elijah, refugee on the mountain of God, saw many things that appeared powerful: a rock-shattering wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord was in none of them. Instead, He spoke in a gentle whisper. The Roman army, the authority of the priests, and the influence of the Pharisees appeared powerful.
But the Lord came as a infant.