Week #4 Bethlehem's Surrender ...on her Surrender in Bethlehem
Book: The Advent of God through Mary
Lesson #4 Based upon Chapters #3 & 4
Devotionals: Thursday - Wednesday
Chapter #3 "Nazareth's Longings"
Thursday: Story 10—All Seemed Well
Friday: Story 11--Jacob's Well
Saturday: Story 12—Home
Sunday: Story 13—Broken Hearts, Wounded Souls
Chapter #4 Bethlehem's Surrender
Monday: Story 14—The Prophecy
Tuesday: My Thoughts 9—Mary, The Royal Way
Wednesday: Story 15—A Shepherd's Heart
Note: Our Bible Study is on Thursdays, so we covering the balance of the current Devotional
To See All of the Advent Season Devotionals, Videos, Lessons & Other Stuff:
Link: to My Wix Blog: Advent Page
Link: Our Place in the Cosmos—A Long Side, Mary
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Part 1: On Capturing Moments of Peace—When All Seems Well
Mary was given two moments before the Storm of Nazareth's home going and Bethlehem's birthing:
1. Mary and Elizabeth's 3 months together, and;
2. Joseph's Arrival.
Note: Joseph's arrival to escort Mary home is an assumption; a culturally defined obligation
for any male, if betrothed.
According to CS Lewis all friendship is based upon "likes"...what we hold in common. Indeed, the very heart of God's invitation is that we become friends of God. Jesus expressed it this way: "You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you" (John 15:14-16 NIV).
Doing what Jesus commands is not a contractual agreement as in "if you, then I will". It is instead the nature of friendship itself. If we do not love what God loves or hold in common God's purpose in our creation we can never enter into the kind of relation The Father intends. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:9, 11-13 NIV).
Like a beloved friend God has given this young couple a respite; Mary with Elizabeth, Joseph with Mary. Mary was ready to return home.
Q: What was the best moment for you in this Christmas?
Discussion: Focused on unique and meaningful cross-generation familial moments and
for those who experienced a difficult season the simple awareness that
"Jesus is the reason for the season."
Q: Why can't we simply live in these moments forever?
Discussion: (See Romans 8: 18-28)
1. The reality of our world is that pain is a very real part of our experience.
2. God created such a tension in our world and universe, in which delayed
gratification, loss, obstacles, learning through initial failure, isolation, need
for others (including The Divine), is necessary to our human development,
spiritually, physically and emotionally.
3. The gap, between who we are as persons and who God calls us to become is
always present, needing confession and God's creative assist to 'becoming'.
The Import of 'Not Yet' (Philippians 2: 1-18)
Teaching: On the Philippians text
1) Note the "If any" nature of the invitation:
"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion.." (Philippians 2: 1).
The invitation is inclusive and assumes common need and diverse motives, abilities, character formation, awareness of the Spirit. There is no room here for 'judgment', only invitation as we are all students, on our way. We all experience 'The Gap'.
2) We participate with Christ and the Church, including those whom God appoints to nurture us, in our human development.
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Philippians 2: 13-14).
T: The greatest harm the Church has communicated to it's followers and our neighbors who are not yet Christian, is the twin 'idea' that the world is divided up between "those in Christ" and all "the others" and that we (especially our children) must not fellowship with or know well our neighbors who we suspect may not yet know Christ.
Example: I grew up very comfortable in Church but terified of anyone outside the Church; uncomfortable, always tentative, responding 3rd person, instead of 1st person.
In a 3rd person way of relating we are always watching ourselves 'inter-act;' our focus is upon 'ourselves in relation' rather than just being 'present'. 1st person is when we are simply 'at home' in our relationships; inter-acting as friends.
Moving from 3rd person (developing our social skills, knowing proper boundaries, jokes that work, etc.) is a normal and healthy part of our development, especially as adolescents. But if we never relax or internalize our newly discovered social skills so that we can relate as co-equals, open, confessional, laughing at ourselves and with others—we will never know or neighbors or they us. Knowing require 1st person kinds of interactions.
3) The reference to "being poured out" is a culturally known metaphor drawing from both historic Jewish practice and contemporary Roman-Grecian practices with the gods, in living the heart of Jesus gospel. We ourselves are to become a 'drink offering' poured out into the worlds as a "sacrificial celebration" like unto Christ. The early martyrs, such as Polycarp saw in their suffering and martyrdom as the Eucharist relived.
The Wesleyan Motif:
John Wesley was anxious to 'make real' in all of life the sacramental offering celebrated each Sunday in every Anglican Church.
Bryan McClarin in "A Generous Orthodoxy" describes the genius of the Methodist Wesleyan tradition lies in its removal of the "us/them" mentality and adopting instead only an enlarged "us". We are all in need of the continuing ever deepening confession, repentance and healing that accompany's all of our journey in, with and to Christ.
Two Wesleyan Examples:
A) Confessional Group: Gathers weekly for prayer only. Two questions are asked each week of which each person is invited to respond to one or the other or both as follows:
Questions:
1) Since we last met, where have you wrestled in your heart and life and either had victory over or gave into?
2) Where would Jesus like to take you next?
Response in Prayers: After each person volentarily responds they lead in a prayer for themselves and in the silence that follows one more can also pray for them.
Then on to the next, till done.
B) Devotional Bible Study: Each person is given a simple journaling book, pen &
a Bible (if they don't have one).
At the beginning of each session the facilitator opens with a question for every participant. All respond, briefly, without explanation before one person does a brief prayer and the session starts.
Opening Question: Since we last met, 1) How many times had you committed to be in the Bible, devotionally? 2) How many times were you, in fact, in the Word?
Session: The general question for each session is as follows: In your study of the Word this week, was there one passage that stood out, spoke to you? Who would like to share 1st?
Then, going around a circle, each one is invited (as time allows) to share 1 significant passage and how it spoke into their life as follows:
1) Declare what scripture they were in. (We all turn to the passage).
2) Read the passage.
3) Briefly share what they heard God saying to them, using their journal.
4) Then the facilitator asks the whole group: Any other insights from this text? (Facilitator allows discussion to follow as long as it is meaningful).
Closing Question: Please write in your journal, how many times this week (0-7) you intend to be in the Word Devotionally? Then someone closes in brief prayer.
The esquisite beauty of each of these small group dynamics is the it democratizes authority, allowing the Holy Spirit to 'make real' in all of us the insights of the Word of God. The group will inevitably see the power of the Word, alive in authentic devotional reading.
All of this is to say: Salvation, at its very core, is restoring in each and all of us together the Divine Image. Stated differently, to enjoy our 'becoming human'. Our call is not to convert the world but to bless the World and become a 'living sign' of God's love in the world. Hence, Jesus command to "Go and make Disciples" ...not converts.
Please recall, in our last session, I asked you to define 'Sanctity' using non-religious language. I purposely did not ask you to define 'Sanctification' because our overly theologicl use of the Word "Sanctification" has left it a word we no longer can access, except perhaps theoretically.
But Sanctity.. after living with it just a few minutes you described sanctity as:
In the book "The Advent of God through Mary" this idea of "Not Yet"—of sharing with all humanity the need of God—is illustrated in the Story of Jacob's Well.
Part 2: Jacob's Well (Page #63-68)
1) Have Someone Read the Text: John 4: 1-26
Q: What significance should we attach to the fact that this Samaritan Woman, treated by Jesus as a daughter of Israel, is the first to whom Jesus reveals that he's the Messiah?
Q: Why do you suppose the Pharisees tracking and publishing the count of John the Baptist's baptism and Jesus Baptisms resulted in Jesus leaving Judea for Galilee?
Q: What else is significant in this gospel story?
2) Have Story 11 read in full (Jacob's Well)
Note: This event likely did not happen. But it is also true that something like it almost certainly did happen. Re-read both Zechariah's and Mary's songs or poems of praise in Luke 1. Mary's is filled with awareness of those on the 'outside'. She was at least part of the source of Jesus good theology; of his world view coming from the Jewish faith.
Q: What's significant in this story? What jumps out at you?
Q: What is the 'magic' inside the story?
Jesus in Nazareth
This Scene is the clearest presentation I've read or seen of the Biblical moment when Jesus comes to Nazareth and teaches on the Sabbath. The gospels give significantly different takes; some emphasizing the hostility of the home town crowd from the beginning, others seeming to indicate celebration of Jesus home-coming and Jesus defensively insulting his neighbors. This powerful scene:
1) Combines each of the Biblic images into a whole revealing Jesus witt, compassion, honesty and his neighbors multiple attitudes from pride to curiosity to open hostility, and;
2) Focuses upon the real reason Jesus was rejected in his identification of himself as the Law, The Sabbath, and the Temple of God, personified, and;
3) The complexity of emotions, all rooted in faith, and;
4) Jesus emphasis upon 'the need for confession and repentance, especially of believers'.
Part 3: My Thoughts #9--Mary, The Royal Way (Pages # 81-82)
1) Have Someone Read Thomas Merton's quote:
2) Read My Thoughts 9--The Royal Way.
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And so we've come to Bethlehem's Surrender. It is Mary's place of full surrender as Yahweh's vessel in whom the only Begotten of God is made real. As it was for her, it must be for us, if we are to also become the indwelling Temple of God on earth; both individually and communally.
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Looking forward to our next Prime Time conversation on Jan, 15 2026
We will cover:
Week #4 Bethlehem's Surrender
Thursday - Story 15—The Advent of God
Friday - Story 16—Blood & Water
Saturday - My Thoughts 10—Mary's Poverty, Her Stage
Sunday - My Thoughts 11—Mary's Surrender & Ours
Week #5 Mystery's Revealed
Monday - Story 17—The Rise of a New Day
Tuesday - Story 18—Called Out of Darkness
Wednesday - My Thoughts 12—Body of Christ
Going Forward: In January we will finish this study within two weeks.
Note: Depending on Pastor Dennis's & Pastor Jamie's health and as God would lead him, we will either continue this study for 2 more sessions, January 15 and 22 or wrap with a broad summary and move on to new things.
Blessings!
a Bible (if they don't have one). 
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