The Feast of Mary, Mother of God | Monday 1 January 2024

Today is Monday the 1st of January, the feast of Mary, Mother of God.

Salt of the Sound sing, ‘Come Thou Fount’.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise to Thee an altar
Hither by Thy help I'm come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed his precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above




Today’s reading is from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

A happy new year to you! As this new year begins, today’s passage might simply help to remind me of the wonder of the Christian faith.

The Apostle Paul spells it out to the Galatians who had begun to hark back to fervent keeping of religious rules and regulations for salvation.

Paul lays out the message plainly: God sent His Son: we are redeemed!

“….God sent his Son …” I ask myself: what made God send his Son?

‘Abba’ - an expression of both intimacy and obedience from child to father. How do my prayers reflect intimacy with God, an obedient response to God’s love? I consider how a child looks at a loving parent, openly, full-on, uninhibited, asking questions - the question “why?” being a frequent one! My prayers to God could be that open and honest.

“If a child, then also an heir.” How does that feel? What inheritance from God is to come? What is here for me to inherit right now?

As I hear the passage again, I consider the relationship I have with God and how I would like it to develop this year.

As this prayer time comes to a close, I speak with God, openly, honestly, about what I might desire for my journey of faith this year.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.