Blessed

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Luke 1: 48b-49a

When Mary arrived at her cousin's house, Elizabeth greeted her with a shower of blessings exclaimed in a loud voice.  "Blessed are you among all women," Elizabeth said. (Luke 1: 42-45)  And since then, Mary has been called blessed repeatedly around the world for countless centuries.  Catholics recite the famous Hail Mary prayer on a daily basis.  The rest of Christianity recognizes Mary's blessings as well.  Even in Islam, Mary's name is praised and held in great esteem.  She sure called it, huh?

Regardless of our opinions and believes about Mary, one thing is certain: she knew how to give praise and thanks to Our Great God.

To me, Mary's words in the Magnificat are an example of how to respond to the evidence of God's power, might, designs and love around us. Her words are our words.  We can all speak them, for we too are blessed beyond our imagination.

Even in the face of all the hardship Mary knew would come upon her, she was so filled with the Holy Spirit that she couldn't help but to articulate the blessings and to express thanksgiving for all the Mighty One has done for her...and so can we.  We are blessed for we carry within us the biggest and most unimaginable gift of all: God with us, The Emmanuel in the Person of the Holy Spirit.  Salvation is in us, what more should we need?

I pray that I continue to remember that we are called to,

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And that in this Christmas Eve, the words of Mary spoken so long ago, be on our lips as a testimony of how blessed we truly are, and of all the great things The Mighty One has done for us.  In Jesus' Precious Name.  Amen!

He is Mindful of Us

...for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. (Luke 1: 48)

Verse 48 in Luke chapter 1 is a precious statement of acknowledgement of what God has done for each one of His children: He has been mindful of the humble state of His servants...

Who are we that The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Maker of Heaven and Earth is mindful of us?

Who are we that Our Lord, the God Almighty is aware of us and consciously pays attention to us?

Who are we that even though He doesn't need us, He loves us and cares for us?

Mary's statement encapsulates a most profound statement of faith and recognition of our smallness and how the best response to such a realization is to magnify, praise and worship the One Who Is Mindful of us even when we are nothing.

In this season of giving and receiving, may we be ever mindful of how, in our humble state, He loves us still.  May we express our gratitude for Who He Is as we prepare to celebrate the greatest gift of all: Jesus Our Savior coming to us in the flesh...Master becoming Servant...Holy Spirit, help us to never cease to praise You and thank You and worship You for giving us You.  Amen!

A Call to Glorify and to Rejoice in Our Savior

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... (Luke 1: 46a - 47)

According to the King James Biblical Dictionary, to glorify is to praise enthusiastically; to magnify and honor in worship; to ascribe honor to, in thought or words.  And, to rejoice is to feel or show triumphant elation or jubilation; to experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations.  These are the words that first came out of Mary's mouth as she began her proclamation in her song recorded in Luke 1: 46-55.  

She speaks, and when she does is not to recount her dire circumstances or to try to figure out the unexplainable situation she finds herself in...when she speaks is to Magnify God from her very core.  It is the soul that glorifies and the spirit which rejoices.  She speaks from the perspective of the very essence of who she is.  It is not a superficial declaration in which words are meaninglessly stringed together in rote repetition.  It is her very soul and spirit that do the talking.

She knows something beyond explanation has happened upon her being.  Why waste time trying to put her mind into it?  She's already had a heavenly encounter with a divine messenger.  Her time with Elizabeth is not for digging further into the meaning of it all.  Her time in the comfort of her trusted, matured relative, away from the prying eye is for magnifying Her Lord and expressing her joyful adoration.

In my devotional this morning I read something that seems appropriate to this meditation:  "Praise and worship are the best responses to the wonder of My Being.  Sing praises to My Holy Name." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

That's exactly what Mary did.  She responded to the wonder of the events developing in her with praise and worship.  That is the best response when we are pondering the Great I AM.  

I pray that the next time we are faced with the unexplainable designs of Our Great God we respond in humble praise and adoration from the very core of who we are...remembering that who we are is His.  In the Precious Name of Jesus Our Lord and Savior.  Amen!

Mary Said

 "And Mary said." Those 3 little words, simple...just part of the flow of the story...but, so relevant.  That's  Luke's plain prelude to the Magnificat on 1: 46 - "She said."  She didn't stay quiet. She didn't keep it in her mind.  She didn't dismiss the words of praise spoken to by her cousin Elizabeth.  Devoid of any false humility, Mary immediately launched into a proclamation aloud.

Young Mary, most likely a teenage girl, manifested how she was overflowing with the Holy Spirit as she put aside inhibitions common to  her age, rank and gender at the time, and used her voice to sing praises of old and anew to Her King, who had chosen her to be the vessel that would bring Jesus to the physical realm.

How willing are we to speak up when the moment calls for a proclamation of faith?

How often our self-c0onsciouness and sense of inadequacy or perceived lack of eloquence keep our mouths shut tightly?

I know I remain silent way too often.  I know I pretend to be humble when in reality what I am is scared. I dismiss the wonder so I don't have to sing the Praise aloud.  

I hope next time the opportunity comes for me to declare all that My Lord and Savior is to me and has done for me, I remember Mary, the teen girl who in spite of her condition, put aside any feelings of fright and boldly declare the glory of God for all generations to see.  May we follow Mary's example and say, Jesus is Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  Amen!

The Magnificat - Mary's Song of Praise

 I grew up Catholic, and in Catholicism, Mary is a very important figure...not just around Christmas.  My Mother was a very devout Catholic and she loved Mary.  Her favorite piece of Scripture, which she had memorized and was basically her go-to-prayer every time she felt the weight of life fall upon her shoulders, was, The Magnificat.  Also known as Mary's Song of Praise or the Canticle of Mary, The Magnificat is Mary's proclamation recorded in Luke 1: 46-55.  These are the words that Mary spoke when she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, right after Elizabeth told her that her own baby had just leaped for joy in her womb when he heard Mary's voice (Luke 1: 44-45)

This is the moment when two Mothers connected at a divine interception.  It is an encounter directed by the Hands of the Almighty for the accomplishing of His Plan of Salvation. It is the tale of two Moms, one old, one young, neither of which had any business having babies had it not been for the miraculous intervention of the One for Whom Nothing is Impossible.

Today is Mother's Day in Panama.  My own Mother has been gone for over 21 years now.  But in her honor, and as we approach the season when we remember the Birth of Our Lord and Savior, I find it very fitting to spend a few days carefully looking at Mary's words in Luke 1: 46-55. There isn't a day that goes by in which I don't recite this Canticle at least once, to Him Who is Magnificent...to Him Whom my soul Magnifies...My Magnificat.  I hope my examination of these verses brings you closer to an encounter like those only He can arrange.  Talk to you soon. In the meantime, as always, we remain at His Service, in the Precious Name of Christ.  Amen!

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19: 14

ARG!

 Growing up in Panama, we are very well acquainted with Pirates.  Panama was an important Spanish base where gold and silver was extracted from, trafficked through and sent to Spain.  Therefore, it was eyed by many Pirates and Privateers from England and France throughout its colonial history. Highly inaccessible not just because of the forts built by the Spanish, but also because of the tropical jungle that carried diseases to which Europeans were not immune, not many attacks were successful.  There was, however, Henri Morgan, a British Privateer who did invade Panama City in 1671, destroying it and ransacking it.  

At any rate, as life would have it, I left Panama to settle in the land of the Pirates, so the theme continues. 

Why am I writing about Pirates...you may wonder? Well, I woke up thinking again about my theme-word for 2022: Help, and about what the concept entails...and something funny happened.  I was thinking about three things that revolve around "help":

Asking for it in humility.

Receiving it with gratitude.

Giving it to others every chance we get.

When I put the letters together, ARG was the acronym.  Of course nobody knows for sure what the jargon of Pirates was or whether or not they truly said "Arr," "Yarr" or "Arg." But, in popular culture, these expressions are typically attributed to pirates when they want to respond "yes" or when expressing excitement.  So, I'm going with it.  The theme for 2022 is Help: asking for it, receiving it and giving it.  Am I pumped about it? ARG!

May the Lord prepare us.  In the precious Name of Jesus.  Amen! 

His Everlasting Love Protects us

 I know it's a bit early for thinking about New Year's resolutions, but thoughts about my 2022 word for the year have been floating around in my brain...soooo...I guess today is a good day to reveal it.  My word for 2022 is going to be...unless I change my mind in the coming weeks: Help.

After playing around with the idea of using the word "joy" as my word for 2022, this morning, not exactly sure how, the word "help" came to me and it immediately clicked.  The funny thing was that I'm usually THE WORST in concocting things like acronyms, acrostics, haiku poems...none of that...I'm not good at any of it, but today, I was able think of an acronym with the letters of the word "help."

His

Everlasting

Love

Protects us

After another challenging year of dashed hopes, disappointment dreams, disillusion, loss, and pain...the word "help" overflows with meaning.  

Psalm 121:1-2, reminds us where our help comes from:  I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Isaiah 41: 10 reminds us that we need not be afraid: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 54:4 reassures us that we are well sustained:  Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

John 14: 16 records Jesus' words about sending us His presence an ever-present Helper in us: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.

The thing with the concept of help is that it implies a two-fold condition: us as receivers and us as givers.  God has designed His children to be social creatures and He has given us Himself as well as one another to assist in the treacherous and difficult roads of life.  

Galatians 6: 2 says Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Notice the importance of the mission: help others and in doing so you are obeying the law.  It is a command by Jesus Himself:

This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. John 15: 12

This is the inspiration of the word "help." It is a command: go help...but it is also a cry: help me.  And they both are met by divine intervention from God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as by us...the hands and feet of Our Lord.  

May 2022 be the year of receiving and giving help.  May we experience how His Everlasting Love Protects us always. May the inspiration from the Holy Spirit move us to fulfill our great commission, and may we become one another's help on the way.  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!

Perfection

 "It's not going to be perfect, but nothing ever is."  I said this to a colleague today as we were discussing a new pathway we are considering for our department at work.  Perfection...I don't even know what that is...perfection at work? not even as a joke.  Perfection in health? HA! Perfection in marriage? Sure! In what planet?  Perfection in any relationship? Unless we're all robots.  

I don't think perfection is possible in human terms.  Take it for example that typical icebreaker question: what's your perfect vacation?  Without hesitation, I always say: the beach!!!  But, then, you get there and it's raining or the house is a dump or someone gets food poisoning or nobody agrees on what to do or someone gets second degree sunburn on the first day...anyway...it's not perfect...far from it!

Achieving perfection is impossible through our humanity.

Then, why does Jesus say at the end of chapter 5 in the gospel of Matthew, during the Sermon on the Mount:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48

I think this is Jesus' way of showing us that the only way we can do all the things He instructs us to do is through Him and in Him.  Like the writer of Hebrews says:

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10: 14

Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross...His Blood and Resurrection constitute the conduit by which we are made perfect as we are being made holy.  I love LOVE the grammatical structure of this statement:  "He has made perfect forever."  It is D.O.N.E.  He accomplished this part already.  But notice the second part: "those who are being made holy."  This part is the reason we are still on this earth.  We are in the process of sanctification: being made holy thanks to what He has already done on the Cross.

Perfection is therefore only possible in Christ, as He is the Lord and Savior and King of who we are.  It is only in Him that we can be made perfect as we walk with Him on the road to holiness.

This is the joy of the season: by His wounds we are healed! (Isaiah 53: 5)

May we take time to meditate during the days and weeks leading up to Christmas on the greatest gift ever given: Jesus.  May we remember that it is by grace that we have been saved. (Ephesians 2: 8) And that His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12: 9)  That's perfection!  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!