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EXPECTANT LOVE
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for
the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his
name.
First-time parents
experience a great change in their lives when their love for
each other produces a new baby. So many things to think about -
letting family know, choosing a name, preparing a nursery.
How different it was for Mary than it is for today's expectant
mother. She did not hear the news from a doctor but rather from
the angel Gabriel. At first she was greatly troubled by
Gabriel's announcement, but Mary accepted what was told to her.
She did not share the news with all her family but went to the
house of her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was filled with the Holy
Spirit and blessed Mary as "a fulfillment of what was spoken to
her from the Lord."
The name for the son she would bear was announced by the angel:
"You shall call his name Jesus." The first bed in which the baby
would sleep was not in a carefully prepared nursery in Nazareth,
but in a manger in Bethlehem.
Mary was changed by love - her love for God and God's love for
her. God's love in the form of his Son was sent not just to Mary
but to all God's creation. Jesus brought redemption from sin to
all who believe in him.
God's love was sent to each of us, and each of us can respond to
that love through service - by using the abilities and
possessions God has given us to reach out to others.
Dear Heavenly Father, let each of your
children hear your word and express thanks for the love you sent
through your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Marjorie Bender
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