In so many paintings of the annunciation, of the nativity, Mary looks so, well, spiffy. She often has on some glowing gown trimmed with gold. Her dress is often adorned with lace and embroidery. Frankly, she looks like she is from the class of the mighty who get put down from their thrones and the rich who get sent away empty, according to the Magnificat.
Mary was from a small town, doubtless part of a family of some kind. And as a woman she would be involved with chores such as doing the laundry, gardening, cooking, mending, maybe spinning wool from the sheep.
We have a children’s book about Christmas with wonderful illustrations. When the angel Gabriel approaches Mary, she is hanging out laundry on the line out in the yard. To me, that very much suits the Mary of Nazareth in the first century.
The thing about making Mary ‘ordinary’ instead of rich and fancy, well, it portrays the vast power of God channeled through a regular person. And if Mary, then why not some other ordinary person for another job God wants done. And what if that ordinary person is you? Or me? Or the coworker in the cubicle beside us that we can’t stand? Or the grocery clerk. . . . Suddenly the world is aflame with Spirit, and we are most definitely not in control.
Prayer: With God, nothing is ordinary. Everything is divine, holy, and sacred. Especially every person. May we create a world where every ordinary person is treated with respect and dignity. They may be a Mary! Amen.
This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 