Hello Everyone,
I hope you all enjoyed last week's lesson on Mary. I pray that you all have chosen a tradition that you can implement to your holiday festivities that will honor our Lord and Savior.
Let's welcome our new readers from Malaysia! Over 30 people in Malaysia logged on and joined us for the study of Mary last week. Our international reader just solidifies the message of Christ, that we are all His children.
I wanted to open with the most profound statement I've read in a long time. To remain constantly visible, living a Godly lifestyle out loud, renders a responsibility to practice biblical femininity to reference God. It is impactful to acknowledge and be responsible for the biblical femininity we portray.
As we discuss Mary, Jesus' mother, we have to recognize that she embodies biblical femininity. She worshiped while waiting on God and willingly followed His lead ( Wolgemuth 2013). A biblical woman is submissive to the will of the Lord. Mary has shown us the characteristics necessary to operate in the biblical femininity through obedience, humility, and faithfulness.
Resource
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.[a] And he called His name Jesus.
biblical - of or pertaining to the nature of the bible; in accordance to biblical precedence and proportion.
femininity - the trait of typical womanhood
Lesson
The scripture text listed above communicates the same events as the depicted in Luke 1:26-38, that we referenced last week. However, it is from the perspective of Joseph. The Gospels mainly cover the same events in different perspectives. The miraculous purposeful planning of God works so well on our behalf. He honored the necessity of hearing both sides of the story.
Joseph's vantage point mostly mirrors Mary's. Nevertheless, Matthew's interpretation of the events reveals Joseph's desire to hide Mary's pregnancy (Matthew 1:19). This was not God's plan. God resolved that Mary's biblical femininity would champion an example for our behalf. Mary submissively and boldly walks in the calling that God has called her to (Luke 1:38). Mary is submissive to God's will for her life and bold in her obedience. More than capable, but willing to yield (Shirer 2011). She represents the nature of biblical womanhood at the highest expectation; wife and mother. The most prominent positions a woman can hold. Would we know Mary otherwise, if she wasn't the mother of Jesus and the wife of Joseph?
A man who finds a wife finds a good thing (Proverbs 18:22). Women are for His good in all of their capacity. Women serve purpose to the Kingdom of God as much as a Godly men. God made women smart, wise, capable, equal in worth, secure in herself yet content in the God given role, purposefully feminine (Shirer). Once Mary was made aware of her God designed position, she played it eloquently; like a lady.
Every design has a position. Women are designed by God to operate in their biblical femininely defined positions.This is not based on the tormented antiquated ideas of the social opinion framed by the 1960's. This is not the array of pendulum injustices that has held women captive and robbed them of the value in which their gender uniqueness God's design provides (Shirer 2011). This is the celebration of truth that holds merit and weight in the eyes of the creator, who made woman and said it was good. A helpmate, meaning necessary.
To operate in humility, obedience, faithfulness, boldness, and yes submissiveness, is the Godly image of biblical femininity. A Godly woman, who wears the badge proudly, must resolve to go against the tide and stand firm on what she believes based on the confidence given to her by God delivered through His eternal truth (Shirer 2011).
My grandmother, Nana, once told me, "It takes more strength to keep your mouth closed than to open it." We regularly equate strength with boisterousness. The most quiet, meek, humble, obedient, faithful, and submissive soul carries the most strength. These attributes require more self-discipline than the other characteristics we hold so dear. God acknowledges the meek, humble, obedient, faithful, and submissive. It is written throughout His word.
Could you imagine the conversations between Joseph and Mary if Mary had not practiced biblical femininity upon his accusations of her? Mary is a symbol of biblical femininity. We must ask ourselves: What kind of woman of God will we resolve to be? (Shirer 2011).
Application
We will continue the application assignment from last week. However, as we are implementing Christ into our modern day Christmas, remember Mary and her practices of biblical femininity. Bless your family with a woman of humility, obedience, meekness, grace, faithfulness, and SUBMISSIVENESS! Honor our creator by exhibiting the behaviors that exemplify His design of biblical femininity.
Closure
I pray that you all will have a glorious holiday season. Remember, we will not reconvene until the new year. So, enjoy your families, good food, fellowship, and fun!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References
All Bible verses were retrieved from the
Bible. New King James Version. YouVersion. App Store 2013
Allen Th.D, Ronald B., House Th.D. J.D.,
H. Wayne, Radmacher Th.D., Earl D. (1999). New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bible is
All About. Regal Books Publishing. Ventura, CA
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution
for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville,
Tennessee
Wolgemuth, Barbara, & Wolgemuth,
Robert (2013). Couples of the Bible. Zondervan
Publishing. Grands Rapid, MI
