Mary: An Example for All
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Luke 1:26–38.
This morning we, along with many all over the US, celebrate Mother’s Day. For those who may not know, Mother’s Day begin after the efforts of Anna Jarvis, in honor of her mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis.
There are many interesting details about the establishment and observance of this day, but at the heart of all of them is a desire to honor and express our gratitude for our mothers.
A Sunday such as this, though, is not always enjoyable. I am blessed to have a great mother, as many of you are. Others, however, do not have good mothers, and in some cases terrible mothers, and still some do not know their mothers.
Furthermore, this day brings grief to those women who desire to be mothers and, for one reason or more, God has not allowed them to be mothers.
It is a difficult line to walk across, then, as we gather to worship the Triune God while also giving a special appreciation to the mothers of our lives.
I believe Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, provides us with the best opportunity to reflect on the beauty and gifts of mothers, while at the same time drawing our hearts toward worship of our Great God.
Mary is truly an example for all, for mothers to be sure, but to every son or daughter of God. We will see why we should follow Mary’s example this morning, and my prayer is that we will be more like Mary, and fall in love with our Lord more deeply.
I. Mary’s Remarkable Character- 1:28, 30, 38
I. Mary’s Remarkable Character- 1:28, 30, 38
Mary is a remarkable young woman, with amazing character. Like many of our mothers she was blessed, godly, and meditative.
A. Mary was Blessed- Luke 1:28 (cf. Eph. 1:6)
A. Mary was Blessed- Luke 1:28 (cf. Eph. 1:6)
In what is a prayer offered by Roman Catholics, and is now a popular slogan in football, the Hail Mary, the angel Gabriel declares Mary to be “favored,” or blessed. It is a fascinating word that, in sum, conveys one who is redeemed by the triune God.
A similar word is found in Ephesians 1:6 “6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Mary was a believer, as is evidenced by her godliness and meditation on God’s Word (see the Magnificat).
Mothers are a special gift, but believing mothers are even more precious. They are blessed, and through them we are blessed.
Proverbs 31:28 “28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”
More than that, Mary offers us a wonderful example by following the Lord. But Mary did not simply believe in God and then stop, her life demonstrated faithfulness to God. She was godly.
B. Mary was Godly- Luke 1:27, 34, 38; 46–55; John 2:5
B. Mary was Godly- Luke 1:27, 34, 38; 46–55; John 2:5
She was chaste, obedient to God’s Word (a close examination of the Magnificat demonstrates a deep understanding of God’s Word).
Her response to this remarkable news that she would bear the Messiah was met with, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary was godly, and even later she encouraged others to follow Jesus (cf. John 2:5).
Proverbs 31:30 “30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Mary was godly, an example for all, mothers and the rest of us alike.
C. Mary was meditative- Luke 2:19
C. Mary was meditative- Luke 2:19
How could Mary be blessed, called to give birth to the Son of God, be godly? It was through meditation.
The shepherds, to whom the angel gave the message we hear every Advent season (Luke 2:11 “11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”), came and told Mary, Joseph, and probably family, about this event.
All who heard it wondered, they were astonished, surprised, but Mary treasured up these things, she guarded them carefully, kept a close watch on it, like a child who has a favorite toy and never lets the toy out of sight, Mary protected these words.
She pondered them, mulling over them and thinking through them, prayerfully, I would imagine.
Another way to look at this is to say that her meditation on God’s Word inspired and fueled her godliness, which was a spiritual gift from God in and through His salvation of her.
We could end here with a lot to strive toward, but Mary is an example for all because Mary lived life like we do, she experienced a rollercoaster of responsibility.
II. Mary’s Rollercoaster Responsibility- 1:31–33; 2:33–35; John 19:23–27
II. Mary’s Rollercoaster Responsibility- 1:31–33; 2:33–35; John 19:23–27
Rollercoaster responsibility is a perfect description of motherhood. There are ups and downs, and we will just consider briefly Mary’s, and then hopefully see another area in which we can follow her example.
A. The Joys of Motherhood- Luke 1:31–33; 2:7
A. The Joys of Motherhood- Luke 1:31–33; 2:7
What a privilege Mary had! Of all the women that have existed, Mary was chosen to give birth to Jesus. Can you imagine her elation and joy?
Let alone the earthly delights of holding a baby boy.
B. The Heartbreaks of Motherhood- Luke 2:35; John 19::23–27
B. The Heartbreaks of Motherhood- Luke 2:35; John 19::23–27
Mary, probably like many Jewish people, only saw the good that would come through the Messiah: a conquering king, the establishment of a righteous kingdom.
She learned, however, that her Son would experience great suffering to save His people (His name is Jesus, after all).
Mothers, of course, experience these rollercoaster responsibilities daily (and sometimes multiple times a day!).
But do we not all have ups and downs in this life? Periods of unimaginable joy and indescribable heartbreak?
But through it all, all the joys and all the sorrows, Mary stayed faithful to the Lord. Interestingly, we read this in Proverbs 31:25 “25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” In the last day, or the final day, or the time of judgment, all fair renditions of this phrase.
Mary had a remarkable character, demonstrated through the rollercoaster responsibilities she had as a mother, and specifically the mother of the Messiah, and through all of this, she provides an excellent example through her ultimate goal—knowing God and making God known.
III. Mary’s Ultimate Goal- 1:46–55
III. Mary’s Ultimate Goal- 1:46–55
Mary’s ultimate goal should be ours as well, to know God and make Him known.
A. She knew God as Savior (knowing God)
A. She knew God as Savior (knowing God)
Rejoiced in God her Savior- 47
Experienced God’s grace- 48
Knew God’s power and holiness- 49
Knew God’s character from Scripture- 50–55
B. She submitted to God as Lord (making God known)
B. She submitted to God as Lord (making God known)
Magnified the Lord- 46
Blessed others through God’s work- 48
