Who Am I? Who was Mary?

...and who is Mary?

͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌    ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

Who am I? Scripture: Luke 1:46     Author: Luke, 61-64 A.D.  “My Soul magnifies the Lord” I had planned on going a different direction today.  Oddly, I had other things come up that diverted my previous conviction on the topic I had in mind.   Yes, we are still at the Mary Concert and boy is she ever singing to me!!   I chose Mary last week because it seemed like the right topic for the time.  Now I think instead, the Topic chose me!  Praise God! Tonight, I’m writing this in something called stream of consciousness.  It’s a form of free-writing authors use to see where an idea takes them.  The author then re-writes everything into a kind of “director’s cut”.  I’m going to let Spirit cook the meat, then I’ll add in my own seasonings after. That seems to be how my day has gone anyway so why stop now?   Let’s see where it takes us.  I’ll pledge right here and now that only minimal edits will occur when this process is done. Let’s start with the Bible— Go ahead Spirit, preheat the oven for me.  :) The Psalms are said to be songs and poetry but it seems to me they were more like diary entries written just in the flow of the author (mostly David). If you know what to look for you see this all over the place.   What you look for is a premise, followed by evidence, maybe even a change in premise, followed by introspection, then finally coming to a conclusion.  We do that all day every day in nearly every task or decision we are faced with. Look at Romans 7.  It is a quick and somewhat easy chapter where Paul starts with the premise that he wants to do good.  Then asks why he doesn’t and comes to introspection on why, finally ending up with “Praise God!!”.  2 Corinthians 12, Paul does something similar. This brings me to Mary— our topic.  Who was Mary? I mean truly who was she?  There is so much written about her we have to be careful not to fall into apocryphal mysticism, or should we?  I mean, after all, the canon doesn’t fill in the blanks so don’t we have to go elsewhere to do so?  I want to learn everythig about her…  but do I NEED to?  I’d personally be cautious of the Protoevangelium of James written some 150 years after Luke that very much challenges what I love about Mary… but in rounding out my opinion so I can speak about it, I have to ask the questions, don’t I?  Maybe, maybe not?   We’re often taught, I presume even in seminary (I skipped that grade), to create our sermons or prayer with calm organization so that we can be faithful sounding.  However, the Bible seems to reward us by not requiring that our thoughts all line up.  God listens while they are still coming in all directions or when we speak with poetic perfection. God doesn’t sweat it, even if we might, or our clerical authority does.   In fact, where often does the lightning strike come from if I accidently (or not so accidently) speak the Lord’s name in vain.  It comes from me, my wife, or my pastor.  God’s been easy on me!  I think he Loves me! Thank you, God!   The title of this one is “Who am I?”.  Let’s answer that by finding out who Mary was.  In doing so let’ remember that God doesn’t tell us to come back to him when we are clearer.  He says, “I’m all ears.” “Who was Mary?” So, as my life sometimes goes, I am led to conflict. I thought maybe the title should be: Who is Mary? then What is Mary? then Who are You? then….   Who am I? I’ll get to “who am I” in a minute.  But not to deprive Beloved Mary of her due, below is my definition of who, really, was Mary".  Depending on whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or any number of variations thereof, my definition may fall short. Mary was a young, poor, Jewish, woman from Nazareth who was chosen by God simply for her Grace.  Mary believed in the Word of God and submitted to his will easily and without argument.  She gave birth to the Messiah from the Holy Spirit; treasured God’s work in silence by never needing proof— just knowing He had it handled.  Mary was the Flesh that carried (some call her the Ark) Jesus.  But most importantly Mary was human who dealt with the same trials any of us might and then some.  She was not raised in the temple, wasn’t perfect her entire life, she wasn’t treated like Holy royalty from a young age.  She was ordinary, fallible, and ALL THIS makes her Perfect for the job she was given.  Fall short? Impossible.   That’s it— story over!  We can all go home. I truly believe the above definition of Mary is pretty much spot on.  No mysticism, just a simple good HUMAN at the right place, at the right time, with an honest Heart and willingness to stand obediently to God’s will.  God knew her, as he knows all of us and so she was favored at that time, and she got the Big Job.  I don’t need to go and deep dive in the Protoevangelium of James or any other text or writing that tries to fill in the blanks to have high praise and understanding of the Grace of Mary.  She is in my Heart! God gave us silence for a reason as well as enough information we could ever need to find the Kingdom, and we get that by scripture and what is also known in our heart.    …But then, are we not here to learn something for ourselves?  Why YES! You are exactly who you are right now— you are not what you were a minute ago, nor what you shall be two minutes from now. I am WHO I AM right now.   Wanna heal?  Wanna thrive?  Wanna smile? Wanna be favored?  Well: I live right now knowing that God has my past and future handled! Therefore, I get to live in Grace right now! This Answers Who was Mary Who is Mary What is Mary Who are You Who am I If Love, Grace, Peace, Joy are God, Christ, and Mary Which One will YOU be RIGHT NOW? YOU RIGHT NOW YOU RIGHT NOW Below is a button that links up to a survey form.  If you have questions, comments, corrections or just want to send me a limerick you can below. It is completely confidential!   Send me questions here Homework: Pray:  Find a little time to do the chant in the music linked above or HERE God's the Love that I am God's the Love that I am God's the Love that I am God's the Love that I am God's the Peace that I am God's the Peace that I am God's the Peace that I am God's the Peace that I am God's the Grace that I am God's the Grace that I am God's the Grace that I am God's the Grace that I am Check out ChristPath.Net Visit Our Youtube Channel View in browser See Past Devotionals Copyright (C) 2025 Christ Path 633.   All rights reserved. Christ Path is affiliated with Christ Love Ministries, Reno, NV Christ Love Ministries | A Church Without Walls Subscribe Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.