by 
The Courage of Mary
Arlene F.
And Mary said, “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” (Luke 1:38 The Message)
Mary had such courage. Young, not-yet married, from an ordinary family, she didn’t see anything special about herself that she should be called by God to do this extraordinary thing: Give birth to the Christ child.
I don’t think she even fully understood what she had agreed to at first. But she had a strong, enduring faith. She trusted God. And that’s all it took for her to believe she was being called to do something life-changing, indeed, world-changing.
Anyone would expect her to be afraid, to be hesitant, to be in doubt. And I’m sure she was. Yet her answer to God’s call for her life is a confident “yes.” She will go boldly into the unknown because God has asked her to do so.
Walking into the unknown is scary. It could be dark and terrible in there. Or it could be filled with light and joy. It’s, well, the unknown, after all. But God calls us to journey together into unfamiliar places every day.
God will go with us, but each of us has to take that first step. Feeding the hungry, helping the oppressed, championing peace, proclaiming Good News to the captives — we are each called to further God’s kingdom in this time and in this place.
Will we go where God sends us? Hopefully, like Mary, we will go boldly, dedicated to the vision of our living God, confident that we can make some impact in this hurting world. But, God will accept our going cautiously, hesitantly, even warily, as long as we go.
God calls to us through the birth of his son and our Christ in this Advent season. So it’s a pretty good time to start our journeys into the unknown, to serve God through serving God’s creation.
Prayer: O God, as you call us out of our routines and familiar places toward your kingdom-building path into unknown territory, may we go boldly, confidently, without hesitation. But if we cannot, remind us that it’s ok to go with fear and trembling, even doubt. Because you will be with us every step of the way. Amen.
