How brave are you? When life is challenging, do you find yourself rising to the challenge or shying away? When something hard is asked of you – perhaps a difficult conversation or a life-change – do you stand up and say “yes, I accept, I will do that”? When you hear God’s call – either through a sermon, a quiet voice or a deep knowledge of the correct path, do you answer? Or do you think – as I often do – “not today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe later”. In our daily lives, it’s so much easier to ignore God and go back to our day-to-day lives, to pretend we’ll “get to that later”
At our Patronal Festival on 19th of September 2021, we reflected on one brave person who did not turn away, who had the strength to answer God’s call when he asked. Mary, the mother of Jesus.
When Mary heard God’s voice, when she was asked to do the hardest thing, to throw up her life and accept a new fate, she said yes. The life she had expected to have was taken away from her, and a new one offered. She didn’t know what this would mean for her, but when God asked, she said yes.
As Mtr Shavaun Shodeinde, preaching for us on our Patronal Festival, remarked: “…she was young, innocent and unmarried, not unfamiliar or out of the ordinary for today. Still, for her then, in the heart of those times, the stigma of being pregnant would indeed have meant that any woman old enough to give their full consideration to what she undertook, would have refused. But Mary […] said yes. She allowed God to turn her world literally upside down. Her life would change forever. Not only does she say yes, but she has a sense of confidence in the God that can do extraordinary things. Mary foresees the immeasurably hope in the Lord our God.”
The catalyst of the miracle at the wedding in Cana and the one who affirms Jesus through instructing the servants to “do what ever he tells you”, Mary shows us what profound trust and belief looks like in daily life. She reminds us that whatever the challenge, when “we have the eyes to see and ears to
listen, hearts willing to be softened and lives open to change, then we like Mary, might allow God to plant hope deep within us.”
Although our Patronal Festival, taking place every September, is not a usual event on the Church calendar, we find it a good opportunity to pause and remember this remarkable woman whose faith is still a beacon to all of us today. For those of us hesitating about following God’s call, let’s ask “what would Mary do”
The following is a link to Mtr Shavaun's sermon: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nx872urp87grn51/Sermon-%20St%20Mary%20the%20Virgin%20Lewisham%20%20Patronal%20Festival%202021.pdf?dl=0
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