I wonder what advice the Galilee branch of Bright Hope Pregnancy Support Centers, if it had been in existence 2000 years ago, would’ve given Mary if she had knocked on its compassionate door. “Come on in, Mary. Tell us your story. We’re here to help and tell you that God loves you, and will forgive your sin, and forge a new path forward for you.” Or perhaps, “Wow! That’s some story, Mary! Now though we often say, you can’t tell us anything we haven’t heard before,’ I’ll be honest with you, you just did. But let me ask you a couple of questions that may help us help you: ‘Have you been playing in that poppy field near your home recently?’ No, ok, how ‘bout this one? ‘Does Joe, that boyfriend of yours, make you feel guilty if you try to resist his advances?’”
My friends, Mary’s story was unique – a once-and-forever-done occurrence; and because her Story is reiterated ad nauseam year after year, the familiar can degenerate into the humdrum. When this happens, some of the more pertinent applications can slip between the proverbial communication-cracks. So let’s shake off the humdrum of the familiar and dig deeper this Sunday as together we probe Part 2 of “Mary’s Unexpected Visit.”
