Mary’s Steps of Faith
Throughout December in the women’s bible study, we’ve been taking a careful look at the story of Mary in Luke 1, and have had some fantastic discussions. It’s a perfect Advent bible study to focus on with the women – especially in a year where we are focusing on discipleship, taking steps of faith, and learning to follow Jesus.
Mary’s faith – among many other things – is a model for each of us to grow from.
Before I go on, take a minute to read the story in Luke 1:26-38.
I’ll wait.
Did you read it?
Think about her story for a moment. In some ways, it is nothing like ours…after all, none of us are about to be pregnant with the Son of God and King of the world!
But in other ways, hers is so much like ours.
God comes to her out of nowhere…in pure grace. She’s a no one from nowhere, just like we are. Not royalty, not special, not spectacular in any way. She’s ‘favored’ by God – which means ‘graced’ – but she hasn’t done anything to earn that grace. That’s the way God is when he “advents” to us: it’s always grace.
We too haven’t done anything to earn God’s grace. We can’t, and never could.
Or else grace would not be grace.
But when God comes to her in grace, it’s her response that makes her special…and that’s what we can grow from. Her response is one of faith, but not immediate faith…it’s a faith that grows, a faith that seeks understanding, a faith that progresses.
Just like we took “steps” of faith this fall, Mary does as well.
When God “advents” into her life, she’s “greatly troubled”. She starts from a place of fear, maybe a bit of panic, and great trouble. Then she “wonders” what this is all about – which is more of an accounting term like “making an audit”. She gives it thoughtful consideration as she tries to put the pieces together.
You know what I see in this that we can grow from? More than just an emotional response, faith is also an intellectual and rational response. There’s room for doubt, for questions, for reason, for un-understanding leading to understanding. The question is though, when God “advents” into our lives and causes us trouble and wonder – and maybe doubt and frustration,
Do we walk away with a closed mind or go towards God with an open one?
Mary does the latter.
She’s afraid…hence the angel’s “don’t be afraid, God’s got grace for you!” Fear – just like doubt, misunderstanding, and frustration – need not be anything but the soil that is ready to receive God’s reassurance, promises, and deeper faith. Mary’s faith grows from her fear. I hope ours does as well.
The angel tells her that she’s going to have a very special baby, to put it lightly, and her question is “how can this be, since I am a virgin?”
It’s a good question. No wonder Mary asks it. But it’s not doubt, notice. It’s belief. But it’s belief with un-understanding. It’s what theologians call “faith seeking understanding”. We don’t understand in order to believe…it’s the opposite of that, in fact. We believe and then seek to understand. We can grow in this – like Mary does – by seeking understanding from God. What a model!
But then finally convinced by the end of the story, she says the line that is above all lines – what we can all grow in faith from:
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.”
Your will be done, in my womb as in heaven.
But not my will be done, but yours be done, as her son would later say.
No matter what it costs. And it cost her a lot.
Her faith began out of nowhere, proceeded through trouble, doubt, and fear, sought understanding, and lands with total submission to the will and work of God in her life, no matter the cost.
Wherever we are in that spectrum of faith, we all have room to grow along it, we all have steps to take.
After looking at the survey data from our Step Groups, I am happy that so many of us have taken steps along that spectrum this fall. I’m excited to take more of those steps with you in the coming months as we launch a new round of Step Groups in January and “Step In” together!