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Narrator: Mary and her devout parents may have once lived in Jerusalem, but while Mary was quite young they moved to Nazareth. There it was that her family met Joseph's family and eventually it was accomplished that Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Mary was likely a teenager, perhaps as young as fourteen or fifteen. Joseph, it was estimated, was in his late twenties. During the year of their betrothal -- a formal and lasting arrangement that could not be broken except by divorce -- the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the wonderful news that the Lord God wanted her to give birth to his son, the Messiah. With a calmness and steadiness that typifies someone much older, Mary replied, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

Well, of course, she wondered how all this would take place, as she pointed out to Gabriel, "I am a virgin" (Luke 1:34). However, when she was told that the Holy Spirit would come over her -- overshadow her -- she was fully accepting of the explanation.

Joseph, at first, was not nearly so accepting of this turn of events. He planned to divorce Mary, albeit quietly, thinking this would be less traumatic for her. Then Joseph was visited in a dream by an angel who informed him that Mary's child was to be of the Holy Spirit and he should not hesitate to marry her. Indeed he was further instructed to name the child Jesus, for he would save his people from all their sins. When Joseph awoke from his dream he did exactly what he had been told. We may wonder if the people who were acquainted with Joseph thought him to be foolish. Faithfulness can look like foolishness to an outsider.

Why, of all the maidens of Israel, was a teenage Mary selected to give birth to the Messiah? We can speculate that the choice was made taking into account her family heritage, physical stock, emotional maturity, and sympathetic husband-to-be. However, when we look back across her life we see two qualities that appear over and over again -- she was believing and obedient.

Mary: Believe me, I felt so thrilled to be selected to bear God's Son. Could any other honor be greater? Even so, I was overwhelmed by my new responsibility, and it didn't help that Joseph was a little strange to me at first. Even after he understood, there were still all the whispers within our families and the village. It was hard to stay composed.

So I was greatly relieved when it became possible for me to visit Elizabeth. I've always loved Elizabeth. Being with her was not only a break from the tensions at home, but an affirmation of what I had been asked to do. She was also pregnant and the babe within her jumped for joy at my arrival, for her son, you see, would be the forerunner of my son. I could scarcely believe it. Elizabeth didn't just understand the role I was to play, she was overjoyed for me and also for herself.

Just when I needed assurance and support I got it in such quantities I couldn't contain it all. In fact, I stayed with her three months and I never forgot that respite. Many times in later years I would return in my memory to experience the high moments of those days when praise came spontaneously to my lips.

My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For he has looked with favor on
The lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all
Generations will call me blessed;
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
Holy is his name.
-- Luke 1:46-49

Narrator: It might cross our minds to think that she was too young to become the mother of God's son. It all seems so simplistic and innocent. If we had known of the event before it took place, we might have prayed, "God, are you sure you want to do this? Shouldn't he be born in a more reliable environment, with an older and experienced mother? This is untried and risky." Now that we are on this side of the event, we readily admit that young family, in that crude barn, with that beautiful baby has captivated our hearts.

Mary: Soon after I returned to Nazareth, Joseph and I began a trip to Bethlehem. We had to register there since we were of the family of David. Joseph did everything he could to ease the agony of the journey, but I was so miserable on the back of that plodding donkey that I didn't fully appreciate his efforts. It seemed to me that whatever he did wasn't nearly enough. Somehow we muddled through the nightmare of seeking shelter when I was already having birth pains. I remember offers of help, clean straw, an older woman, firm counsel, a pale-faced Joseph, and pain and pain. Then finally relief, a squalling baby, and blessed sleep.

Some rough and ready shepherds stopped by to report excitedly on angels singing to them in the hills and instructing them to come to our stable. Many days later some exquisitely dressed men from the East brought extravagant gifts and words of such magnitude that I couldn't comprehend. Yet what words I did understand I treasured and pondered them in my heart.

Narrator: Eight days after Jesus' birth, Joseph and Mary made the trip to Jerusalem for their son's circumcision and Mary's rites of purification. At the temple they met a devout and righteous man, Simeon, chosen by the Holy Spirit, who was aware of the unique role the young infant would play in the life of Israel. He also sounded what would become a death knell, when he said to Mary "... and a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35). Sometimes a hundred sentences may be spoken, but one will fasten itself in our memory and any effort to erase it will meet with failure.

After returning to Bethlehem, Joseph was warned again by an angel in a dream to move his family to Egypt quickly for Herod was determined to kill his son. Immediately he sprang into action to protect his family. Mary coped with being a new mother on-the-run in a strange land. We can only guess that she met each challenge as she met all the other challenges in her life. The young family had been in Egypt for two years when once more an angel informed Joseph that Herod had died and they were to go home. They settled in Nazareth, where Joseph began to ply his carpenter's trade.

Mary and Joseph had four more sons, James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, and some daughters (Matthew 13:55-56). About thirteen years after returning to Nazareth, Joseph died. Mary then became a single parent depending on her oldest son, a very young teenager, to be a breadwinner.

Mary: In the year that Jesus was twelve, Joseph and I determined to take him to Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover. In fact, all those of our village attending the feast decided to travel together. We did this for reasons of safety, and it was also a great opportunity to visit with friends and extended family. Our pace was slow due to the short legs of our young ones and the uncertain legs of our older ones. That meant that the older children could be playing at the front, middle, or back of our village's procession.

It was on the return trip -- a full day out, in fact -- that Joseph and I realized that neither of us had seen Jesus. Rather frantically we searched through all our friends and family and finally realized that he must still be back in Jerusalem. Leaving the other children with relatives, the two of us retraced our steps. Back in Jerusalem, after asking and searching for three days, we finally found him in the Temple talking to the teachers. They were amazed at his learning, but I was beside myself with worry, so I shouted at him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." And his response set us back on our heels: "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:48-50). We were stunned by his apparent impudence. Obviously we didn't fully understand what he meant. However, we wasted no time in heading back to Nazareth and I kept his words etched in my memory.

Narrator: This event was the beginning of Jesus' pulling away from his parents. Not that he was rebelling against them -- rather he was starting to travel his own unique road in response to his heavenly Father.

Perhaps Jesus' seemingly curt response, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49) might today sound like, "You know what my role on earth is to be. So why are you angry with me?"

The uniqueness of Jesus as teacher, healer, and speaker of truth was now coming to the fore.

Mary: The days, months, and years following Joseph's death, I confess, are indistinct -- a continuous blur of family, work, and religious activities. I had the care of seven children, the oldest of whom was mastering his father's trade. I gave him the support I could, but I knew little about carpentry. His commitment to his heavenly Father, however, never diminished; it grew and I believe mine grew also. When Jesus' brothers were old enough to practice their father's trade, Jesus made a decision to begin his public teaching. I followed him as best I could, watching and listening in hope and sometimes in fear.

One day I attended a wedding in Cana, here in Galilee. Jesus and some of his friends had been invited also. When the wine ran out, I turned to Jesus and apprised him of the situation. I knew he was capable of handling the moment. He surprised me with his answer: "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come" (John 2:3-5). Startled, but wanting to appear as if everything was going smoothly, I turned to the servants and said, "Do whatever he tells you." This was yet another time when I only dimly understood what he was saying, but I was certain he would not let the wedding party down -- and he didn't. I ran his words through my mind many times that day. My son had gone someplace in his faith where I had never gone and where I'd never completely follow.

Narrator: The separation Mary experienced in her relationship to Jesus was to increase. And it wasn't only Mary who felt the growing breach. When Jesus came to his hometown to teach, his friends and neighbors were astounded. "Is this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" (Matthew 13:55, 56).

When the same response to his teachings happened again, word came to Mary and Jesus' brothers that "he was going out of his mind" (Mark 3:21). So Mary and Jesus' brothers came for him, expecting to take him home. When Jesus was told his mother and brothers were calling for him, he startled his listeners by saying, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then looking at those sitting around him he said, "Here are my mother and brothers." Then he explained, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:31-35).

On another occasion when Jesus was teaching, a woman cried out to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" But he countered, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!" (Luke 11:27-28).

We can guess that any mother would be hurt by these seemingly blunt pronouncements. A lesser mother might have said, "If that's the way he feels, he can go his own way, until he comes to his senses."

Mary had stored many things in her heart from the fateful day that the angel Gabriel had visited her. She could still hear his words spoken three decades before. "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God ... you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus ... he will be called the Son of the Most High ... He will reign over the house of Jacob forever ... of his kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).

Mary: John, the beloved disciple, and others tried to spare me from Jesus' trial and crucifixion. They were wanting to shield me and urged me to stay home, away from witnessing the grizzly business of men putting another man to death for the sake of preserving their own status in the community. But I could not stay away. My commitment to my God and to my son ran too deep.

The scene at the cross frightened me. Who were all these people? Why were they so angry? Why did some of them laugh, joke, and roll dice? Were the soldiers necessary? Why did my old neighbors avert their eyes? I huddled close to John, Mary Magdalene, and the other women.

All the while my son's body grew weaker and ashen gray and his voice became only a rasping whisper. He was in such agony and was dying. I thought surely, surely I would die too. My beloved firstborn suffering such torture. When he cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34), my heart broke and I could not control my sobbing. Then he raised his anguished eyes and looked directly at me, "Woman, here is your son!" and looking at John whispered, "Here is your mother" (John 19:26, 27). While it tore me apart to hear these words, it was, in a strange way, a validation of my contribution to his life. As the eldest son, he was making provision for me, his mother. I had a unique place in his heart. Then, in great relief my son bowed his head one last time and said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

I watched as men, not well known to me, assisted by Mary Magdalene, removed Jesus' body from the cross and prepared him for burial. My feet seemed rooted to the ground and I might have stood there indefinitely, but John tugged at my elbow, "Come, Mother," he said, "it is time to go." I went to the home of my newly-appointed son. It proved to be the most wearisome journey of my life.

Narrator: Many questions linger about the devoted life of Mary. Some come from her first-century life and some from later centuries when the Western Church added to or changed the nature of her life.

For example, why didn't Jesus place Mary in the care of one of his brothers? It is speculated that none of Jesus' brothers believed in him, until after the resurrection. So Jesus placed Mary under the care of his true family, in other words among those who believed. Why wasn't Mary more intimately involved in Jesus' burial? Always before she had stood by him, so why at this moment did she seem to be standing back, looking over the shoulders of others? By this time Mary was nearly fifty, an old woman in first-century Israel; physically she may have been very limited in what she could do. Or to put it less elegantly, time had set her aside; she was no longer in charge.

Then how was she transformed from a loving, earthly mother, who seemed held by all the limitations that surround all other mothers, to become a God-like mother, one not only worthy of our adulation, but of our worship? How did she become one to whom people may pray, one who takes her place not far distant from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

The Western, or as named later, the Roman Catholic Church, came to believe that Mary was of much more spiritual significance than the New Testament accounts would lead us to believe. This led to Mariolatry, which is the veneration or worship of Mary. Early this led to a denial of Mary having other children than Jesus. His brothers and sisters were explained away as stepbrothers and sisters, or perhaps as cousins. This emphasized that Mary was placed here on earth to give birth to the Christ Child and him alone. To further elevate her purity and in preparation for her unique role, Pope Pius IX, in December 1854, set forth the Immaculate Conception which said the virgin from the moment of her conception "was preserved from all stain of original sin." It almost sounds like Mary was no longer mortal.

Mary: The New Testament story contains none of these speculations of the Western Church. My story concludes with my going to John's home. But wait, that isn't all, for living with him I heard all about the resurrection; I heard the accounts of those who saw my son. I was present when that early fellowship met to praise God and sing. I can't tell you what a joy it was to know that my son had brought salvation to Israel, just as the angel had promised. But saving the best for last, I was able to be present on the day of my son's ascension into heaven. That was enough for me. I had kept the course. I now knew joy.