Jesse Tree Symbol #23: Mary

By

Jesse Tree Symbol #23: Mary
(And an angel appeared to a woman named Mary—a young prophet who would bear the living Word of God into the world and name him Jesus)

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55



The Anunciation
by Graham Rogers, age 9
"Mary appeared before an angel, warrior of light. This was not the only time an angel appeared in the bible. After the first sin, an angel with a flaming sword guarded the garden of Eden. An entire angel chorus appeared to the shepherds in the field watching over their flocks by night. There is only one story where an angel is bad; the angel of darkness appeared to kill all the firstborn sons of each family except the Hebrew sons. They followed God’s command and the angel passed them over. Angels appear in a lot of other stories. but I can’t tell you those for now."

Lord God, you choose the very least
And raise us up to greatness
For nothing is impossible with You
You take the weak, the poor and blind
And raise us out of darkness
Teach us obedience, Lord
In every part of our lives
Ears to hear your word
Hands to do your work
Feet to walk your path
A heart for all your people
A mouth to shout your praise
A childlike faith
Humility
Confidence
That says
To the possible
And the impossible
I am the Lord's servant
May it be to me as you have said.
Amen

— John Birch



 ____________________________________________________________________________

Kids Corner

Read and Discuss: Luke 1:26-38

Review each character: where have we seen Gabriel before? Who was Elizabeth (and who was her husband and her son)?

I'm sure it was a surprise for Mary to hear such news from the angel Gabriel. Do you think your family was surprised when they heard that you were coming into their lives? Ask your family what it was like for them to wait and prepare for you. How do you think Mary felt?

 Pray: Dear Jesus, you came into our world in a wonderful way. Thank you. We are waiting for you, so help us to be ready. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to Elizabeth who came fr
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disappeared, and all of the town’s people said,” How sad.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A week later the stallion retu
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—the weakest
Read more