G. Archer Frierson
Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
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Advent Devotional for December 21
• Luke 1:39-56
Mary may have had mixed feelings about her pregnancy as she hurried over to visit her older relative Elizabeth. Perhaps she wanted confirmation or support. It seems like Elizabeth didn’t know about Mary’s pregnancy until she walked in the door. The baby inside of her jumped to life, inadvertently sharing the secret.
Pregnancy can be a stressful time. When my wife was pregnant with our first child, in addition to the late-night runs for shrimp and cocktail sauce, we also had to get a baby monitor for a while to listen to the heartbeat, to be accompanied by that steady, precious gallop. We needed peace.
Elizabeth, who in her old age was miraculously six-months-along with John the Baptist, went into a trance and spoke a prophecy. “Mary bore a baby who would fulfill God’s purposes.” Ancient readers would have heard echoes of God’s blessing in pregnancy, and yet childless women—whether intentionally or because of infertility—are equally bearers of God’s blessing and truth.
What kinds of heavy doubts might Mary have been carrying? She was a young girl, uncertain about the parentage of her child, and she came to her older relative seeking reassurance. What she found was a safe space and more. An older relative saw through her secrets and confirmed that God was present with her.
Can your life, with all of its false starts and failures, give glory to God? Many of you might be in a difficult season, where you feel like God’s purposes are not being lived in your family’s life. Sometimes we need the reassuring words of an older relative to make it seem true. In this case, the relative spoke more than she knew consciously, reassuring Mary that God was present in the midst of her secrets and shame.
Reverend Dr. Philip Browning Helsel
Associate Professor of Pastoral Care
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?
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