To truly give ourselves over to Christ means that some things in our lives will be threatened – our self-dependence, our self-righteousness, or self-interest.

Paul insists that Gentiles have become ‘fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.’

"May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth."

In this, we read a calling for all of God’s people, no matter where they are, no matter their station in life, to lift their eyes from the darkness and the chaos of the world.

When you have crises in your life, how do you respond? Do you panic, fall apart, spring into action, etc? Do you take time when the immediate crisis is over to reflect on what happened, how you responded, and how God might have been working through it? How might Mary’s response be an example to you? How could you respond more prayerfully and contemplatively to events in your life?

God has chosen you and your response should be to clothe yourself with all the characteristics of Christ.

In this call to praise, the psalmist urges all of creation to join a universal chorus of thanksgiving.

Service to God was an everyday part of Samuel’s life from a young age and he managed to do it in ways that was both pleasing to God and to the people around him.

The wisdom of Elizabeth’s years allowed her to bring comfort and joy to Mary.

This time of year, we think about the importance of Jesus taking on flesh to show us how far God would go for love of the world.