Sample Service and Readings - Letters
Sample Service and Readings - Letters
Reader Four (Luke 2:15-20)
Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph – and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Reader Five (John 19:25-27)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing by her, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then to the disciple he said, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.
Reader Six (Mary’s Letter)
Mary, the most blessed among women to have been the mother of our Lord – to the people of _____ Church, as you treasure the Good News and ponder its meaning for your lives: God’s grace be with you all!
As I looked up at my Son on the cross my mind was numb with shock, and my heart was heavy with grief. Was this how it was going to end – all the hopes and dreams and expectations? Would they end here on a cross?
I never fully understood my Son, try as I did. Though I pondered deeply about the mystery that attended his birth and the miracles that were part of his life, I never really figured it all out. But I know this: I loved him as only a mother can love. And when he suffered there on the cross I felt the sword that aged Simeon had talked about pierce my soul.
There, beneath the cross, I came to recognize that I didn’t have to understand everything. There are things we can’t figure out that we can just leave to God. In my own deep anguish I trusted that this was not the end of it all – that somehow in Jesus’ death on the cross God’s will was being served, and that his Son (and mine) would indeed reign over a kingdom without end, as the angel had promised.
Jesus’ love still touched me there. Even in his agony he arranged with his disciple for my care. That’s how it is with Jesus: he always cares for his loved ones. You will find it to be true in your life, too, as you trust him and follow him.
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