Mary

She was a young woman who was:

 Godly

The angel said: “the Lord is with you” – obviously Mary was a girl who knew and loved God. The Lord would not have chosen her if she had been in rebellion against him.

Are we the same kind of people?

Perplexed

Mary didn’t know what these words meant. How could she be highly favoured of God? Why should an angel (the Archangel Gabriel no less) visit her?

We also may be perplexed in life by many things.

Apprehensive

Mary had questions to ask the Archangel Gabriel. She didn’t see how it could come about that she would be the mother of God’ Son, the Messiah. She wasn’t married and she was still a virgin.

Perhaps we have questions about life and about God which seem to be unanswered.

But Gabriel reminded Mary: “Nothing will be impossible with God”. When God is in the midst of a situation that situation is transformed. And this is true of our situations – who knows what God can do in our lives when we open up to him?

Believing

Mary trusted the words of the the angel. She believed the promises of God – even though what was promised was unprecedented in human history.

Do we trust God – his promises to us? Do we believe in Jesus his Son?

Submissive to God

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38)

Will we say “Yes” to God, as Mary did.

Joseph

He was a young man who was:

Righteous

Like Mary he also loved and feared the Lord. He knew God and sought to live by his laws. We are told that Joseph was a righteous man.

Perplexed

Joseph also was perplexed – not to say shocked. He found out his fiancee was pregnant. He had not slept with her – some other man must have seduced her. She had been unfaithful to him. And yet, it was so out of character for Mary. How could she have done that? His mind was in turmoil – probably more so than the mind of Mary.

Loving

Joseph still loved Mary. As a religious man, a righteous man, he would have to break off the betrothal. But as a loving man he would do it quietly, to avoid scandal and pain to Mary. He still loved her.

Are we capable of having the same kind of loving spirit Joseph had?

Believing

But when it was all explained to him by the Angel of the Lord, in a dream, then Joseph believed God. Although it seemed a far-fetched and even incredible explanation, he believed. Perhaps his knowledge of Mary’s character and his love of her made it easier for him to believe this than that she had been unfaithful to him.

Obedient

Like Mary he did what God said. He took her to be his wife, so that he could become the foster-father of Jesus. Mary was not going to be a single mother, and Jesus would have a human father-figure.

One last thing:

Self-controlled

“He had no marital relations with her until she had born her Son”

Although he was her husband he did not demand his marital rights. So their marriage was not consummated until after the birth of God’s son.

After that time they took up normal marital relations and other children, brothers and sisters to Jesus, were born to Mary and Joseph.

Joseph and Mary’s discipline and control in sexual matters is an example to all followers of Jesus.

If only we could all be the same kind of people Mary and Joseph were: godly, believing, obedient, loving and self-controlled.

A three-fold cord

(A wedding address)

Unity is strength

Once there was a Bedouin sheikh who had ten sons.  They were always quarreling and thus making the family very vulnerable to attack by enemies.  The sheikh called together his ten sons and held up a bundle of sticks saying, “This is a test of strength.  Which one of you can snap this bundle in two”.  One  by one the brothers came forward and tried,  but not one of them could break the bundle, however had he tried.

“Untie the bundle!” ordered the father. Then, handing one stick to each son, he said, “Now break the sticks!”  Each son broke his stick with ease.  “You see,” said the father, “each of these sticks represents one of you, my sons.  When you are bound together in love and harmony no enemy can break  you. When you are quarreling, you are easily overcome by the enemy. Strength lies in unity”.

And  that’s true of marriage also,  isn’t it? If a husband and wife are united in purpose and in love then they can face all that life throws at them. There are many enemies of marriage today – not least our hedonistic society which does not believe in putting up with difficulties. But if you are united in love and harmony you will overcome all difficulties.

Three strands

Here are some ancient words of wisdom from the Bible:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up! …….  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  (Eccles 4:  9,10,12)

I’m not really sure what the writer meant by that – perhaps he was just saying “unity is strength”.  But for you, in your marriage, I would say, the third strand in the cord should be God – your relationship with   him.

As a married couple you are a two-fold cord – much stronger than a single strand.  With God in your lives it becomes a three-fold cord -  even stronger, not easily broken.

As Christians we believe that God can give purpose to our lives. He loved us so much that he sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross, and to rise from the dead, for us. We all need to invite Jesus into our lives and to seek to follow his ways. Then we will know the true meaning and blessedness of life.