Develop a Discipleship System
Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).
Gathering Time (5-10 minutes).
Although Christians exhort one another to linger patiently within Advent, with just days before Christmas, no doubt many households are in high gear for preparation, decoration, and last-minute shopping and gift-wrapping. Invite participants to share their favorite “family Christian tradition”—from food, to rituals, to décor. For some, the tradition might be to “boycott” commercialism! For others, Christmas might be a time to remember loved ones who have passed. For those with intercultural or transnational roots, there may be a mixing of cultural traditions with Christian traditions. [e.g., French-speaking families in Quebec may be getting ready for réveillon, the late-night meal partaken on Christmas Eve, with festivities lasting through Christmas morning.]
Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-45, (46-55).
- For the fourth Sunday of Advent, which falls just three days before Christmas, our Worship and Preaching Planning Notes invite us to contemplate the promise of “almost”—we’re “almost there.” How do you typically deal with waiting? [e.g., depends on what you’re waiting for? can’t stand the anxiety? tendency to try to “beat others to the punch”? you like to savor the suspense, especially in anticipation of a surprise prepared by a loved one?]
- The Gospel reading draws our attention to the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, two expectant women who were also bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders. The text describes Elizabeth’s fetus leaping in her womb upon hearing Mary’s greeting. As Catholic theologian Susan Abraham once shared in conversation, it is a moment in which two wombs touched each other. It speaks to the power of women’s bodies kinesthetically and spiritually in touch with one another. Have you had similar experiences, or have you heard stories shared by women you know? [My mother shared that when she was pregnant with me, she felt that my little kicks were a way for me to communicate with her.]
- Mary and her prophetic “song of praise,” known as the Magnificat (vv. 46-55), deserve deeper exploration. Of the many things that have been written about Mary from Jewish and Christian perspectives, consider what we could learn this week from the long traditions of Marian devotions in Latin America. Put simply, “official Church theologies” typically emphasize Mary’s virginity and obedience. In contrast, in liberation theologies, Mary is revered and loved for her identification with the suffering of the people. As Jeanette Rodriguez, a scholar specializing in Latinx health, wellness, and justice-oriented therapy, writes that in Latin American lived theologies and spirituality, Mary represents “a yearning, a hope transcending circumstances, and an experience of accompaniment within a world that often rejects and marginalizes” (“Mary, Mother of Jesus: Consolatrice of the Americas”).
- What has been your theological understanding of Mary and how did you come to this understanding? [From sermons? Bible studies? your own theological reflection? from song lyrics? popular films?] How is the source of our understanding as important, if not more, than what we know?
- Which characteristics of Mary and her life do you find most compelling and why? [e.g., obedience; endurance; suffering; ponderings about the fate of her son Jesus]
- What do you find puzzling about how Mary is presented in the Gospels? [e.g., What does it mean that she was a “virgin”? What does biblical scholarship say about her life after Jesus’ death? How is Mary understood theologically around the world? Each of these questions points to a vast field of biblical and theological research you can explore together.]
- The Preaching Notes for this week invite us to consider that it is not just Mary who is being addressed as “favored one.” The community of Bethlehem of Ephrathah is also beckoned. And so are we and the communities in which we live and serve today.
- How are you called to bear the promise of God’s grace and deliverance in the world today?
- How is your community (your church, your town, your networks of influence) called to stand with those whom the world rejects and marginalizes?
Source: Rodriguez, Jeanette. “Mary, Mother of Jesus: Consolatrice of the Americas.” In The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Christianity. Oxford University Press, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199860357.013.32.
Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.
Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer.
Given that “Mary’s song” is at the heart of our readings this week, consider closing your time by singing or listening to a rendition of the Magnificat set to music. The website Hymnary.org points to several hymn selections in Spanish and English, such as “Canto de María” (Mi alma glorifica al Señor) by Alejandro Meja in Oramos Cantando (We Pray in Song, #86). A sample is available here: https://youtu.be/UzaJkdUlEI8?si=BkrXid0TILPIjQQH.
Mai-Anh Le Tran is associate professor of religious education and practical theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. An ordained elder of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, she regularly contributes to the ministries of local churches, districts, conferences, and denominational agencies. She is the author of Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope (Abingdon, 2017).
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