New Living Lutheran Post: The Mary Experience

The awkwardness of puberty is such a universally awkward experience that it is one of the first stories in the Bible. As they come of age, Adam and Eve’s self perception changes, they begin to rebel and Eve begins to experience the aches and pains that will soon give her the ability to have a child. If Adam and Eve’s story sets the stage, Cain, Abel, Rebekah, Isaac, Daniel, Esther, David, Michal and Solomon’s stories show some of the many ways teenagers explore, bend and shatter the lines between child and adulthood.

Yet, it is Mary’s story that most reminds me of the bravely awkward teenagers of today. Most scholars believe that Mary was a teen when she was told that she was pregnant, and some wonder (without resolution) if Luke’s description (1:35) of Mary being “overshadowed” is a code word for violence. While politics, science and faith may have different ideas about how Jesus was conceived, it remains a miraculous event that the Messiah is born to bring light to even the deepest, darkest shadows.

Read the rest at LivingLutheran.com