{"id":260,"date":"2017-12-14T02:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T02:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/?p=260"},"modified":"2018-06-05T06:30:35","modified_gmt":"2018-06-05T12:30:35","slug":"mary-mother-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2017\/12\/mary-mother-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary the Mother of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I will never forget the day I became a mother. It changed everything for me. \u00a0My son was my miracle baby.\u00a0 And I wasn\u2019t supposed to be able to have kids.\u00a0 But I had prayed for this day with all the energy of my soul.\u00a0 For my husband and I, it was a joyful time.<\/p>\n

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My miracle baby arrived two weeks before Christmas. So every year I feel a great sisterhood for Mary as I think of her and her journey toward becoming the mother of the Savior of the World.<\/p>\n

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Who was Mary?<\/h3>\n

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\"Mary
Mary walks with Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. From LDS.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The scriptures really don\u2019t tell us a lot about Mary. She was young. And she was entrusted with a major responsibility- being the earthly mother of the Son of God. I can only imagine she felt a little overwhelmed by the task ahead of her.<\/p>\n

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As I prepared to write this article, I looked through the Apocrypha to see if there were any clues to Mary\u2019s life. According to that text, Mary was a miracle baby in her own right. Her parents hadn\u2019t had children and prayed for a miracle.\u00a0 And an angel appeared to each of them and told them that they were going to get to be parents.<\/p>\n

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Hope for all Barren<\/h3>\n

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In his message, that angel said something that really touched my heart.\u00a0 He told Mary\u2019s father \u201cWhen God shuts up the womb of anyone, He does so that He may miraculously open it again;<\/a> so that that which is born may be acknowledged to be not of lust, but of the gift of God.\u201d Then the angel went on to remind him about Jacob and Joseph, Samson and Samuel; all prophets born to barren mothers.<\/p>\n

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The angel also told them that Mary was to grow up in the Temple, that she would be the mother of Jesus, and that in growing up in the temple she would have the purest upbringing possible. So from the time she was three years old, Mary lived and served in the Temple of God.<\/p>\n

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Protecting Mary<\/h3>\n

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\"Mary
Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem. From LDS.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the scriptures are intentional in their limited information about Mary\u2019s personality and life experiences. I am sure that Jesus loves her dearly. And with the way people blaspheme His name, I know He wants to keep her safe from all that. I don\u2019t blame him. And I am touched that He would give His earthly mother such a sweet and personal gift.<\/p>\n

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I\u00a0want to share with you one of my personal Christmas traditions. It is my small way of marking the Savior\u2019s birth, and honoring His mother Mary. The LDS Church<\/a> has many videos that depict the Savior\u2019s life. I love The Nativity that depicts Luke 2<\/a>. It happens to be the same length as the song \u201cBreath of Heaven\u201d by Amy Grant. I play the song while watching the video, and I really feel connected to Mary and what is happening to her this holy night.<\/p>\n

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The song is essentially a prayer.\u00a0 In it, Mary is thinking about what is coming and how weary she is. And as a mom, the words are so moving. It reminds me that Mary was a person. She was a new mom. She was a traveler. And she trusted her Heavenly Father to guide her.\u00a0 I found a video where they have already combined The Nativity and Breath of Heaven.\u00a0 I\u2019m so glad!<\/p>\n

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