How Do We Bear God and One Another?

This Sunday, we will be reading scriptures about the life of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. We wondered together: How does Mary's life and witness teach us about what it means to bear God to the world? And how does her example teach us to bear others? How are we Godbearers, and how do we give new birth to one another? How are these spiritual disciplines?

I interpret this question as the idea of answering God’s call, and this idea is illustrated by Mary’s conversation with the angel Gabriel. We all know the story-- Gabriel reveals God’s plan for Mary of having a great son, and her reaction is one of doubt and confusion. Nevertheless, Mary accepts what God wants of her (does she have any choice???). It is a short and sweet story, but we can substitute characters for ourselves and substitute the situation and reveal a truth. How many times does God speak to us, if not through angels then through our hearts, to let us know that he has a plan for us that is greater than we have ever expected of ourselves? And how many times do we respond with doubt and confusion. “I think you have the wrong person, God. I certainly have never done anything like that and I don’t think I can. Surely, you mean someone else. Surely I am not worthy of something so noble. Surely, you mean someone else better than me.”

In the story, Mary accepts and does God’s will, trusting, that despite the seemingly impossible event to occur, that God would be there with her. But this isn’t just about what God was going to do for Mary; Mary was also doing something for God, doing something that was to serve the greater good. AND, it seems that God and Mary were serving and answering each other to serve and answer the needs of humankind. I think when we answer a call, as Mary did, we allow God in the world. Our decision to let go of ourselves, our egos, to serve the community around us allows goodness to flow.

- Jess Andres

"Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’"

I feel like Mary's response here summarizes what it means to bear God to the world. Mary had to know the judgment she would receive for being pregnant before she was married, but doing God's will took priority over maintaining her reputation. To bear God to each other and the world, I think we really have to be concerned with loving people and determining how God would have us act, as opposed to being concerned with whether or not we have the appearance of serving God.

- Tiana Won, Sophomore

Coming from a strange experience regarding the bible I don't really translate any of the virgin birth of Mary literally. I hope to one day be able to know as much as I can regarding Jesus and his mother, and everything in his life, because I feel that this mystery has the power to unlock my true identity in Christ. This is part of my excitement and fuel for the decision to attend seminary.

However, whether or not this understanding of Mary the mother of Jesus is literal does not negate the beauty and power of this idea. The concept of a woman birthing the Son of God is a powerful one. Coming from a philosophical standpoint, what could this say about women? How they are portrayed in the Bible? What does Mary's role tell us about Jesus? The amount of respect that Christ showed to his mother, realizing that his death on the cross could have a significantly more negative effect on her more than the rest of his disciples is from John 19:25-27. What kind of relationship, are we to have then, from this example of Christ, with our own mothers? With women? How should we go about showing them that kind of respect? How could this possibly relate to our modern version of family?

I'm afraid that I have more questions than answers. I suppose that, however, that this is a starting place, and when the time comes, I will be able to pour my heart out in the search for the truth of Jesus Christ.

- Megan Weckerly, Junior


If we cannot

look after each other
agree to maintain creative, constructive tension in disagreement,
sing
err on the side of simplicity
feel one-another's pain
seek common ground
laugh and get the giggles
pass on the tales of our ancestors and dreams for our descendants
respect the decency of life
avoid imposing on others' rights
sense our own mortality when staring at a starry sky
remember what it was like to be bullied
translate "Hello, world!" into "hello, neighbor"
take off our shoes for all that is holy
recognize that differences should inspire inquiry not incite inquisition
volley footballs instead of grenades
tend one big green garden on one pale blue dot
stand up for those who cannot afford care to stand up
cross the border
recycle pet, hdpe, pvc, ldpe, pp, ps, other, Al, Sn, and SiO_2
articulate appreciation without words

together, then whose favor do we find and who do we bear?

- Ian Roederer, Ph.D. Student