Wednesday, December 23
I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me according to your word.   Luke 1:18

When Mary spoke those words, she had no clue what lay ahead. We dwell in pandemic; she endured grief over murdered boy  babies. We live with loss of jobs, security and health; she traveled as an immigrant to a foreign country. We mourn the death of loved ones; she would watch her oldest son whipped and stabbed, mocked and crucified.

Mary’s profound I am the Lord’s servant was picked up years later by Paul as a standard for those of us calling ourselves servants:  Here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. (Romans 12:1-2  The Message)

Have you heard or sung Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)” this season? Are some of the words yours today? Listen well. And maybe weep.

I am frightened by the load I bear

In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now…

Hold me together
Be forever near me…

Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness…

But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong…Hold me together
Be forever near…