2D2: After Reading Discussion Question #2

[TreyAndKrys]

How do you think Mary felt in the months and days leading up to Jesus'
birth? How does her experience of the first Christmas influence the
way you approach the holiday season?

[DAVEOJ1]

I think that she was scared beyond imagination. She was a teenage
girl, pregnant, unwed. Her punishment for her condition could have
been a painful death by stoning. Her future was unsure since she did
not know what Joseph's reaction would be. Yet, thorugh it all, she
was willing to serve God. It took a lot of courage to face what she
had to face. Total uncertainty.
A lot of people are in the same situation today, jobless, bills piling
up, losing thier homes, trying to support thier families in any way
they can find, in some cases, pregnant without health insurance or a
family to support them.
We can find courage in the face of the unkown, and faith in God that
we will survive in Mary's story. In her fear there was a confidence
that she would get through it with God's help. It may not always be
visible to us, but the help is there.

[Krystina Kyle]

I feel a special connection with Mary this year. I can't imagine the
fear and insecurity that she was facing. I bet that she was riddle
with anticipation that she was expecting a baby boy, which brings
great joy, but also the anticipation of child birth and an unknown
future. Not to mention that she was on a long and difficult journey at
the end of her pregnancy. I know how hard it is to travel in a
comfortable SUV for a day trip to San Diego, I can't imagine traveling
the distance she did on a donkey through a desert...!

I have been thinking a lot about other women who are expectant mothers
and mothers. I am blessed to have an amazing husband, a secure home,
and wonderful friends. I know there are many women who do not have
these things and it has humbled me to be so blessed. It makes me
wonder what I can do to reach out and help other women who do not have
the support that I do. Thinking about this makes me realize that I
want to reach out more to women and children who are in difficult
situations. This should be the focus of Christmas for me...

[trey_kyle]

Although the Gospel don't tell us about what Mary was thinking or
feeling the days leading up to the birth, I can certainly imagine that
she would be very frighten. Having just traveled to Bethlehem and not
near her family or friends, that would have been very stressful. How
was she suppose to have this baby without her support? And to top it
off, she stays at the inn but with the animals with the manger.

On Dec 5, 11:18 pm, TreyAndKrys <treyandk...@gmail.com> wrote: