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On Sunday morning I spoke on a theme that seems to have come up for me often at this time of year - the pain of Christmas. Of course, it is a time for celebration and joy, but for many of us it is a time of grief and loss. As we reflect on the year just gone, we can’t help but mourn lost relationships, health, jobs, dreams, ambitions, potential and life. Yes, the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness is still there.

My focus on Sunday was Mary. The words God spoke to her change the course of history and brought about the reconcilliation of God and humanity. But for her, it meant nothing but pain. Firstly there was the shame and ridicule that would be brought upon her family for being pregnant before being married. There would be the scorn brought upon her, embarrassment on Joseph and a whole lot of hopes and dreams suddenly thrown out of the window.

But instead of arguing or getting angry (like I would) Mary’s faith wells to the surface and she responds to the news of her pregnancy with, “May it be as you have said.”

Quite simply, Mary was an astoundingly faithful, teenage girl.

Astounding in that it was God who caused her pain and suffering. As far as we know, she had been as faithful as a Jewsih girl could be, and she is seen as one ‘favoured by God’. So why would God burden her with such a task?

I reflected on Sunday how, when God speaks to us, there always seems to be pain involved. It maybe because the ways of our culture are so different that the kingdom values jar us harshly. Perhaps God needs to go to such lengths to get our attention. But honestly, all I really know is that when God speaks, pain follows.

The questions I asks our gathered people were (i) What pain have you expereinced this year?, and (ii) What might God be saying through that pain?

Let me state again, I don’t see God as a twisted old man inflicting pain for fun. Instead I see God who uses what happens to shape us and make us stronger. If you’ve read much of this blog or know me personally, you’ll know that my family and I have had a bad year health wise. It has frustrated me and made me angry and there have been times where I haven’t liked God much. As I prepared this message by the side of the road in Oxley on Saturday morning, I wondered what God might be saying to me through that. Two words came to me over and over again.

Trust me.

I like to do things myself, and trusting God comes with difficulty for me. And the thing I learn most from Mary is drawing strength from the way God has worked in the past. In Mary’s song, she tells of the faithfulness of God to the Hebrew people and relies on the faithfulness to continue into her future, despite what present circumstances might suggest.

In the end, I need to remind myself that God sees the big picture. I only see the picture up to the point I am now. While I hate the painful stuff of life, sometimes it is necessary for a greater good to come about. But whatever the case may be, I look at Mary in a diffferent light now and pray that I might have a faith like hers one day.

If you’d like to reflect more on Mary and the role she had in the Christmas story, see Hamo’s beautiful poem here.