PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

May 9, 2021

MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS

Many years ago I preached a sermon with the title “Give Us Back Mary.”  It was predicated on the Protestant Reformation having relegated Mary, mother of Jesus, to the recess of theological discussion.  This was a part of their having dismissed anything that looked Roman Catholic.  Almost everything that appealed to the human senses was discarded until all that was left was a rational religion that only addressed the human intellect.  This was demonstrated by the pulpit being the center of Protestant churches.

One of the reasons for the Roman Catholic’s veneration of the Mary was that women felt that their needs were not being address in a male dominated church.  There was no one they could go to who really understood their situation. Thus, they turned to Mary.  She became the person women would go to with their concerns.  Unfortunately, the reformers continued the tradition of a male dominated church and had no substitute for Mary.  Protestant women were once more left adrift.  Fortunately, over time women have found ways to address this issue.

Today Protestant churches still continue to rectify the unintended consequences of the overzealous reaction of the reformers to reject anything that looked or felt Roman Catholic.  In their zeal the reformers forgot the Biblical principle of moderation which can be found throughout all of the scriptures and can be found specifically in Philippians 4:5: “Let your moderation be known unto all men.  The Lord is at hand.” (KJV) Hopefully, Protestant Churches are beyond dismissing ideas and practices simply because they look Roman Catholic.

From my experience it would seem that many rules, regulations, and laws were created to address specific isolated instances.  While the resulting resolutions address the presenting problem, they also create unintended consequences which cause a burden on many and create new problems.  Still on the books today are many laws that were originally passed to solve problems that no longer exist.  Nonetheless, we still have to follow them.  You can go on line and find lists of such laws.

Hopefully, this Mother’s Day all Christians can embrace Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Together we can reflect on Mary being visited by the angel Gabriel and being told that she would give birth to a son.  Together we can reflect on Mary visiting Elizabeth while she was pregnant.  Together we can reflect on the story of the birth of Jesus.  Together we can reflect on the need for the Holy Family to flee to Egypt.  Together we can reflect on Mary becoming a widow.  Together we can reflect on Mary’s trying to understand Jesus’ ministry.  Together we can reflect on Mary standing before the cross and watching her son die.  Together we can reflect upon Mary meeting the resurrected Christ.  Together we can reflect on Mary’s growing old and moving to Ephesus.

This Mother’s Day let us all guard against overacting when problems arise.  May we remember the Biblical injunction for moderation in all things!  It is important that we consider the consequences of our actions, especially possible unintended consequences.  As the old saying goes, let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater.