{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5f7dea19b9d0d8091393189b/694dfc3e09314afbecfa4706?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Pondering","description":"<p>ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE</p><p><em>December 25 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD</em></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Pondering</strong></p><p>Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20</p><p><br></p><p><strong>So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in</strong></p><p><strong>the manger. Luke 2:16</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Can you imagine giving birth in an outdoor stall? And then, as you begin to re-</p><p>cover, a group of shepherds show up and tell you that an angel told them that</p><p>your baby is the Son of God and Messiah?</p><p><br></p><p>You aren’t surprised by the announcement. The angel has come to you as</p><p>well. But every time someone says it out loud—you are the mother of the Holy</p><p>One—it feels shocking and overwhelming.</p><p><br></p><p>Can you imagine mothering this child? An all-powerful, all-knowing deity, now</p><p>fully dependent on you for shelter, nourishment, care?</p><p><br></p><p>This is the mystery of Advent: God comes as a vulnerable baby. The Son of</p><p>God is also the son of Mary. Then and now, God entrusts the work of love to</p><p>human hands. God needs us—our arms to cradle, our voices to sing, our lives</p><p>to bring grace and mercy to a weary world.</p>","author_name":"Phillips Seminary"}