The Mother of Our Lord
“For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).
The words “Merry Christmas” could also be written, “Mary CHRISTmas,” emphasizing Christ but remembering to honor Mary, the blessed mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Richard Wurmbrand, a Lutheran pastor, tells this little story:
It is said that a Protestant and a Catholic died at the same minute, and both went to heaven. The Catholic immediately bowed before Mary and kissed the hem of her garment. She caressed him on his head and said, “You have served me faithfully. May I introduce you now to my Son?” And then, for the first time, he made the acquaintance of Jesus Christ.
The Protestant, on arriving in heaven, immediately knelt down before Jesus and showed Him his respect. Then Jesus said to him, “May I introduce you to My mother? You seem not to have known her during your earthly life.”
Wurmbrand concludes: “God honored Mary. Why should I not?”
When we see that Scripture, Gabriel, Elizabeth, God Himself all honor Mary, we’re led to join in.
Let us honor Mary in two ways:
By speaking of her in bold and beautiful words – words that don’t go too far but that go far enough.
Martin Luther did this well. He called Mary “the noblest, holiest mother,” and “the greatest of women in heaven and on earth,” and even “the princess of the whole human race.”
You’ll hear me call her “the mother of my Lord,” as Elizabeth does, or “the mother of our Lord.” That’s beautiful. You’ll hear me call her “blessed,” as Elizabeth does twice, and “the blessed Virgin Mary.” And Mary herself sings in her song, “From now on all generations will call me blessed.”
The hymn “Savior of the Nations, Come” speaks beautifully and boldly in stanza 3: “Here a maid was found with child, yet remained a virgin mild. In her womb this truth was shown: God was there upon His throne.”
But I think that the boldest and most beautiful words are found in the Small Catechism: “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death” – when His mother stood by His cross, as we learn from John 19:25.
By honoring your mother.
“The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.”
And moms, you who carry a child in your womb for a few months and in your heart for a lifetime, you honor Mary by loving your children.
May each and all of us carry Christ in our hearts for a lifetime of faith, hope, and love in Him!
Pastor Matt