The Annunciation: a Pro-Life Declaration

In the calendar of the church year, March 25 is normally the day that we celebrate as the "Annunciation" or the biblical event when the Angel Gabriel appears to the young, unmarried girl, Mary, to inform her of God's choosing her to bear the Messiah. Mary's response of surrender and praise has always been an example and challenge to me. Artistic representations of this event have spoken to me in a special way. In fact, I have a diptych of Fra Angelico's portrayal of this event as one of my prized items from our visit to Florence, Italy. A few years ago, I produced a "movie" using dozens of artistic portrayals of this scene to present to our church during Advent. 

This year, because this "holiday" would have coincided with Good Friday, the western world celebrated the Annunciation on Monday, 04 April. On that day, former Texas senator, Wendy Davis, spoke at noted Notre Dame University on the benefits of abortion! Imagine--choosing to speak on the right to kill an unexpected and/or unwanted child on the very day when we acknowledge the value of life as God took on human flesh and lived among us. It is beyond comprehension to imagine Mary responding to this interruption in her life as Ms. Davis promoted!

I was recently made aware of an unique piece of art called Virgin Mary Consoles Eve, by Sister Grace Remington.  The symbols and imagery of this piece evokes strong emotions for me. Two "mothers of the human race"--but one with shame and guilt evident in her body language and the other, presenting compassion, forgiveness and hope. The fruit of their wombs were destined to meet but Mary's seed brought hope to all mankind--for now and for eternity. Powerful. A statement that God is the source of life and that God's Son was sent that the value of life was assured.

Sister Grace Remington OCSO is a Cistercian sister of the Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa. They offer this poem to accompany the painting. I hope it is speaks life and encouragement to you. We MUST celebrate ALL of life--beginning at conception--as we celebrate the Annunciation and Incarnation of our Savior.

Two women, old and new

One’s flesh tainted, the other’s faith true.

Lovely Eve, with face from God downcast

Clings to shame imposed by her past.

Glorious tresses fail to bring

O’er corrupted flesh full covering.

No passage of time can hide

The death of life she feels inside.

Far from the garden as she may flee

She can’t outrun shame’s misery.

Her labour miscarried, her fruit ill-born,

Love’s light lost leaves her soul forlorn.

Will serpent’s grip forever chase

All hope of freedom from her face?

In expectation and agony she sighs

As one by one, each offspring dies.

But from one daughter a Seed now springs,

An incorruptible life to end Eve’s suffering.

Perfect fruit Mary’s willing womb bears,

Proof to the world its Creator still cares.

Two women meet face to face.

Eve, damned by law, encounters Mary, full of Grace.

“God is with us,” her feminine form cries.

“Through our seed the serpent crushed, and his lies.”

Take heart, mother, sister, daughter.

Lift up your heads, oh son, brother, father.

The King of Glory comes as gentle Healer

His reign to restore creation’s grandeur.

Eden shall return, only bigger and better;

Christ has come His earth to unfetter.

Sons brought to glory, daughters adorned as a bride

Reigning o’er heaven and earth by His side.

Two women, both mothers of our race,

Look in hope on their newborn baby’s face—

The fulfillment of God’s promise, the hope of life to come—

Leave behind disgrace as they celebrate the Son.

Mary Magdalene--a Woman of Prominence

Tomorrow I will speak on Mary Magdalene, one of my favorite Biblical characters. She fascinates me, not only because of the fact that she was one of the disciples who lived and worked with Jesus during his earthly ministry, but because she. . . a woman. . . was chosen by God to be the first to witness the risen Christ and the first one to be given the commission to "Go. . . tell" of the Resurrection. The honor of this could not be overstated. A woman, who in her culture of that day, would not have been considered a reliable witness, nor worthy of being heard, is the first one to be sent by Jesus to testify of that He lives. Amazing.

But, what really intrigues me is that she is the most slandered and falsely represented of all of the people in the Bible. She has been called a prostitute; a person filled with the seven deadly sins; a lover of Judas, John and Jesus; the bearer of Jesus' children; and so much more. Her reputation has been destroyed in sermons, books, art and film. Her relationship with Jesus made into a "holy pornography". She has also been accused of having a contentious relationship with the disciples. WHY? Why distort the truth of the Scriptures concerning this one person?

I believe this has been a concerted, intentional attack of Satan to destroy the truth of the Resurrection by discounting the messenger. The Enemy could not thwart God's plan of redemption, but he continues to weaken and damage the message by corrupting the reputation of the messenger. It's time that we declare "No!" to this demonic attack!

There are some clear ways that Mary Magdalene teaches or challenges me in my walk with God. She exhibited total surrender to the Lord and His service. She gave up her home and comfort and of her funds to enable the work of the Savior. Mary Magdalene showed extreme courage by staying by the cross during the entire crucifixion. She also exemplified strength and courage in staying by the tomb and then returning while it was still dark. She didn't deny Christ or run away under the threat that was inherent in being identified with Christ. She confronted the male disciples in their unbelief that Jesus still lived.

So, I must ask myself these questions: Do I have such sacrificial love of my Lord? Am I willing to give up everything for His service? Do I exhibit courage in my testimony in the face of unbelief or possible persecution? What am I holding onto and won't give up for the sake of the Kingdom? Am I willing to live out my new life offered by our Savior--or am I stuck in my old habits and sinful responses? 

Now, during this Easter season, I want the example of Mary Magdalene to be used of God to be mine. She is the example of one who was freed from Satan's bondage and lived in the freedom of the reality of Resurrection. That's my desire,  May it be yours, as well.

A Calling--or Frustration?

As a follower of Christ, we often talk about our "calling" from God. But what does that mean? And what do we conclude when we aren't able to fulfill the "calling" that we believe God has given us? I frequently think about this. As we've worked in cross-cultural ministry for thirty years and I've trained hundreds of missionaries to go the field, the concept of "calling" is a common theme. But are we guaranteed to accomplish the "call" on our lives?

Frederick Buechner writes, "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." This profound statement indicates that such a "calling" won't be onerous or debilitating. In fact, it will be characterized by our "deep gladness". But, what if the fulfillment of this calling isn't realized? What happens to the "gladness" then?

I've often quoted my husband's insight on the concept of a "call". "It isn't a question of whether or not you've been called if you are a child of God. You received the "call" with salvation. The question is 1) what am I to do; and 2) where am I to do it?"

This past weekend at the inaugural event for ArtsCharlotte, the theme was the "Call and Vocation of a Life in the Arts". There was much discussion about how or if being an artist required a "call" or not. At the end of the Symposium, I shared this quote from Michael Card, "The call to servanthood causes the creative gift to come alive. It gives it color and tone and direction and purpose. The art that naturally flows out of our obedient response to the call of God on our lives, as a result of the imprint of the creative mandate, can, by grace, become water to wash the feet of sisters and brothers, cold water to quench the thirst of an unbelieving world. To become servants of Christ is the highest goal we can aspire to in our creative work."

But, the purpose in writing this blog is the question, "What if you are blocked from fulfilling the "call"?" By way of example, I'll share a personal, very real situation that my husband finds himself in right now. After much prayer and seeking counsel, he has felt strongly that he had received from God a "call" to start a new ministry. His entire life has been one of vocational Christian ministry and he has been faithful. The "call" on his life has been clear for over fifty years. But, now, due to a lack of income and support partners, he is thwarted from fulfilling the "call". What should be our response? Do we assume that if God hasn't provided, it really wasn't a "call" from him? Should we continue to struggle and wait for God's provision? Are we being presumptuous to assume God must provide the means to fulfill this call? We're praying for answers to these pertinent questions. To be honest, right now, we don't know where to turn or what to conclude.

How do you handle a "thwarted fulfillment" of a "call"? What would you advise us to do?

Christ's Commendation for Patient Endurance

In the first three chapters of Revelation, Christ gives a commendation four times for something that is seldom celebrated in our definitions of success: patient endurance.  Our culture honors productivity, not patience. Books are written and podcasts abound about doing. . . not enduring. Again, God's Kingdom values are drastically "upside down" from our cultural expectations.

I wonder, can endurance and patience be separated? Can't endurance be characterized by gritting our teeth and waiting? Does "patient" describe the type of endurance that is pleasing to our Lord? Is it the "how" we are to endure?  Is that why Jesus combines these two concepts? I wonder.

Too often we describe someone who merely waits and doesn't act as being weak or ineffectual. But, it seems that "patient endurance" takes strength, commitment and faith. Makoto Fujimura, a friend and mentor, once taught that sometimes we find ourselves in a "long and" of Matthew 6:33--"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." God's promise is true and trustworthy, but the timing is often different than we expect. And yet, we are told to keep "seeking his kingdom and his righteousness" even when the provisions or answers cannot be seen. This form of waiting takes patient endurance.

My husband and I find ourselves in yet another "long and" transition. While God is clearly opening doors of ministry for both of us, the needed finances and partners in ministry are lacking. How do we exhibit "patient endurance"?  Can it be presumption to expect God to provide as we request? We dare not seek to manipulate God. So, we wait. But, too often it is accompanied with worries and fears--the opposite of faithful waiting. Definitely not "patient endurance".

This is my prayer: "Lord, I desire to develop patient endurance. I am aware that this is tantamount to asking for trials to develop this skill and/or characteristic in me. But, even in this current situation of a severe lack of financial support which would free us to engage in our calling to ministry, I desire to wait. . .endure. . . with patience. Amen."

Photo is of a painting by Charlotte Zweber Chavis in her series on the "Transforming Power of God", using the imagery of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly in the cocoon.