Other Little Ships: The First Christian

Sunday, December 8, 2024

The First Christian

Chapter 8 The First Christian

From Other Little Ships

With fear and awe he received Him into an unsuspecting world. And with trembling hands he placed Him into her weary arms.

She gazed lovingly down into His searching face and thought more clearly than she had since this amazing journey began, "I believe."

We Protestants are a little skittish around Mary. Because of dogma we hesitate loving and adoring her as much as our Catholic brethren. But one of the greatest areas in which my own faith has grown in recent years has come from rethinking Christmas.

No, I don't think that Mary is divine . . . but almost. I don't pray to her . . . but if she overhears my prayers as they are broadcast in Heaven I'm sure that she hears with understanding and compassion.

I fell in love with this precious woman for the very first time about four years ago. I heard Michael English sing Mark Lowry's song Mary, Did You Know? and I was hooked into seeing the Savior through her eyes. That point of view has changed my life.

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy was Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy Has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby, You kiss the face of God?"

The arms of angels ached to hold her heavenly (now earthly) charge. But they would never know the joy. And her baby slept peacefully in the safest place in the entire universe -- at the breast of the very first Christian.

I join the salutation of the angel Gabriel, "Hail, Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with thee! Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS." Luke 1:28, 30, 31

No comments:

Post a Comment

Mark 4:35-41

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

OLS

When I began writing many years ago, I self-published everything that I produced under the auspices of "Other Little Ships," (in reference to the miracle of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35-41, where Mark mentions that there were "other little ships" involved in this familiar story).

It has always interested me that in this larger-than-life miracle story there were "little people" in the background, behind the scenes, under the radar.

I've always been more than happy to just get honorable mention in anything that God is doing. I'm proud to be sailing in one of those other little ships as long as I can be a small part of the story.