Mary’s Love

    Mary’s Love

December 21, 2025

By: Elle Mann   

   Good morning, everyone. 

        For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Elle Mann and I am a member here at First United Methodist Church.  I’d just like to take a moment to thank Pastor Mike for the opportunity to give one of the messages during this Advent season.  April was up first, giving us a lesson about Elizabeth and Zechariah.  Then John gave a message on Joseph.  Last week Susannah gave a lesson on the meaning of angels through the story of Gabriel.  And I have been tasked with the story of Jesus’ mother, Mary. 

        I do have to say, I’ve been rather nervous to deliver this sermon. When I was first assigned such a person as Mary, I was very excited.  But as Susannah said last week, the enthusiasm quickly turned to anxiety in my brain.  What angle was I going to take?  What direction am I supposed to go in, in order to do Mary justice?  Telling her story is a tough task, so I ask you now, before I deliver this message to you, to offer me grace.  The stories that each of my fellow lay Advent speakers have given all revolve around words that we agreed on during our meeting a couple months ago; for Elizabeth and Zechariah it was hope, for Joseph it was peace, and for Gabriel it was joy,  just like the advent candles we’ve been lighting each week. When it came time to decide on the word for Mary’s tale, we all came to the consensus that the stories, just like the candles, should come full circle with love.  Love. God’s law.  To love one another as he has loved us.  Without exception.  Through darkness and doubt.  Through the clear, and through the fog. 

        To fully understand Mary’s story, we have to zoom out to look at the bigger picture.  What else was taking place when Mary received the life-changing news from Gabriel?  What extra trials did Mary face because of the task that God had given her?  And in order to grasp what an incredible advocate of love Mary is, we have to go back quite a ways before Jesus was born.  I’m really only going to skim through some of the history of Israel, and the events surrounding his birth and early years.  I will touch on just some of the pieces of information that I believe to be relevant to the story of Mary.

        Back in the tenth century BC, David and his son Solomon were responsible for establishing the Kingdom of Israel. However, it was not long into Israel’s existence that it split into the North and South kingdoms: where the north was still to be known as Israel, and the South was called Judah.  Both of these nations were conquered by different empires.  In the North, Israel was defeated by the Assyrian empire, and Judah was taken by the Babylonians (who ended up destroying the Temple,which was going to be a house of God, and a cultural and religious center of the south). 

By the time we reach the last two hundred or so years before Jesus’ birth, the land of Israel was ruled over by the Roman Empire.  And at the time that Mary was given the message by Gabriel, King Herod was ruling over the people, and the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple was underway.   However, the practice of Judaism was only allowed in cases where it wasn’t used to try and change the status quo.  It could only be practiced without ulterior political motives.

        So, it’s pretty easy to imagine that when King Herod learns from the wise men that the King of the Jews, and son of God, is soon to be born, it immediately sends him into a spiral.  He wines and dines with the wise men before asking them to return to him after they have learned the location of this Holy Infant.  He hides his true intentions behind the lie that he wants to go and visit the Son of God, to praise him.  When the wise men go to Bethlehem and find Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, they receive another message from God, warning them to steer clear of Herod as Jesus’ life will be in danger if they return to the Roman king.  Thankfully, the wise men listen, and they do not return to Herod, which leads the king to send out his military to round up and kill any son in his kingdom from the ages of 2 and younger.  When Mary and Joseph learn of this, through a message from Gabriel in one of Joseph’s dreams, they decide to flee to Egypt, to escape the wrath of the Roman King.

        Now why am I saying this?  Telling you all something that you most likely already know; as this story is one of the most well-known from the Bible.  Why do I need to give a history lesson on the events that lead up to Jesus’ birth if I’m supposed to be talking about Mary? 

I think it’s important to understand the historical context, because it helps us understand that Mary was someone who was already marginalized. She wasn’t someone who was part of the ruling majority. Now imagine what that must have been like.  Being a teenage girl, who was considered to be a second class citizen by those around her.  When she received the message that she would carry and give birth to God’s Son, Mary was engaged to Joseph, who was a descendant of King David.  A ways before their wedding, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel, who says this to her in Luke 1, verse 31-32:  “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son.  You must call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.” 

        Then a few verses down, Mary accepts this endeavor with one simple sentence.  “I serve the Lord…May it happen to me just as you said it would.” 

        This part of the scripture has stuck with me while writing this message.  Mary’s trust in God.  How she was without a second thought, willing to have faith in him and see his plan through, and to love this child unconditionally.  He has asked a lot of Mary, who is engaged to Joseph, but is going to be pregnant long before their nuptials were to take place. God has asked Mary to carry his child, despite all of the scrutiny that she and her fiance (but mostly her) will face.  The only question she asks Gabriel is how she could possibly carry the child as she is unwed.  After that query is answered, she takes the task on with great bravery and grace. 

        It is believed that Mary was subjected to ridicule from the people around her, being an unwed, soon to be mother.  She was judged by her peers, who believed she was living a life of sin.  And what was she supposed to do or say in an attempt to defend herself?  Surely she knew that telling people she was carrying God’s son would make her seem delusional.  Who would believe hers and Joseph’s story, that Mary, just a simple girl with no title or money, was chosen by God himself to carry the Messiah?  People were probably more likely to believe that pigs had learned how to fly; rather than believing that someone with as little to her name as Mary could be hand picked for a task as great as this.  But through all of the mess, through all of the low points, with the verbal slander and ridicule that she faced, not once did Mary blink or turn her back on her child that was growing inside of her.  Not once.  She carried him with her head held high.  She was undeterred by the hate that was thrown her way.

        When the night came for Mary to give birth, and they made their way to the inn in Bethlehem, Mary was not shaken by the fact that she would not be given the comfort of a bed.  And when Jesus entered the world, she did not hesitate to wrap him up and keep him warm and safe. 

And when King Herod created a great threat to Jesus’ life, she did not think twice before making the difficult journey to Egypt.  Braving treacherous terrain in horrendous weather, while also being on the lookout for any of Herod’s forces trying to take her son away from her.  Not to mention the real possibility that they faced hunger and thirst on their journey.  Just to make sure that their son could have the opportunity to live a good life, and grow up without the fear of those who would wish to harm him. 

        Mary went through some of the most treacherous situations one can be expected to endure, all for this child.  This child; that changed the entire course of her life, and in a sense perhaps made it much more challenging than it would’ve been if God had not chosen her. 

Now some might say that it was Mary’s strength that helped her through this chain of events, and to some extent that is true.  Mary is, in my mind, one of the most amazing characters that we learn about not just in this story, but in the entire Bible.  And it has nothing to do with title, or power, or her lack of resources.  Her strength, her willingness to go down this strenuous path, is rooted in one thing.  Love.  She could have had everything else, but without the love there’s no saying whether or not things would’ve turned out the way that they did. 

        Here’s the thing about love.  It’s never what it is expected to be.  It’s never just smooth and free of obstacles, it’s full of twists and turns and trials that test us.  Every single day we are faced with situations where it almost feels impossible to believe that the concept of love even exists.  Let’s use smart phone technology as an example:  we have more access to the terrors of the world than we ever have before. We can hear about the awful realities of multiple genocides, of gun violence, poverty, and starvation, all just by unlocking our phones and opening the news app.  So, in short it’s a lot easier to forget that love is in fact there.

I myself am guilty of it.  But recently, when I’ve been caught focusing on the negative, I’ve often found myself thinking of Mary.  Thinking of refugees, the parents who have packed up their lives and are fleeing with their kids nowadays, risking everything to offer something better for their children. And I consistently asked myself, what drives that decision more than love? What makes us want to protect the ones closest to us more than love? 

We find examples of radical love throughout the world of pop culture.  Take Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of the original Hunger Games trilogy.  For those who are unaware, this series is very popular among my generation, as the books and films started coming out while I was in elementary school.   At the beginning of the book (and I should warn you it is quite dark), we learn that each year, twenty-four children are offered up as tributes in an annual event called The Hunger Games.   Where the children are put into an arena, to fight to the death until only one is left standing. I know it’s a really morbid premise, but the entire series is a very important (and phenomenal) read.  In one of the first chapters of this book, when her little sister Prim’s name is drawn at the reaping of the Tributes, Katniss immediately runs to Prim and volunteers in her place.  She does this knowing fully what the consequences are.  She does this so that Prim will be safe, even if it means that she herself never comes home.

There are also examples of radical love in everyday life.  A parent or grandparent or sibling or aunt or uncle who tells a young person, “I see you. I love you as you are. I am here for you.” Even if some in their surroundings challenge who that young person is.  A person who “pays it forward” at the grocery store, when they recognize that someone might be struggling with hunger. A family that brings food to the food pantry to help their neighbors.  Holding the door for someone.  When your friend drives all the way out to Inkom after they’re done with work to help you replace a flat tire after a ski day.   When you offer to let someone borrow your umbrella when it’s raining.  Little acts of kindness such as this are just a few examples of radical love.

 Think of Elizabeth and Zechariah, who had hope even though they didn’t know what was going to happen; because they loved their son John, and they trusted that things would eventually be alright.  Think of Joseph, who was able to find peace, even when his world had turned upside down, and he was able to help the people he loved find peace, as well.  Think of Gabriel, who was able to deliver the message of joy, because he had love for God and his people.  

Mary, who had so little to her name, even knowing the risks, chose to love, even though she didn’t always know how everything would turn out. This story defies reason, just as love defies understanding.  Mary knew that the only way to bring Jesus into this world, the only way to keep him safe, was to love him radically.  Without exception, through darkness and doubt.  Through the clear, and through the fog.  So, as we go into the last few days before the birth of Jesus, finishing up this Advent season; remember Mary’s strength, remember her will, but most of all, remember everything that happened was a result of her infinite love.

And all God’s people said,

Amen.