St. Mary,Mother of Our Lord (August 15)

Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;

instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;

therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;

they shall have everlasting joy.

For I the LORD love justice;

I hate robbery and wrong;

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge them,

that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to sprout up before all the nations.

(Isaiah 61:7-11 ESV)

Wonderful readings for this feast!  Here's last year's post, with a lot more art. Send me a link to your favorite painting or depiction of Mary, and I'll post it here.

St. Mary's Day is traditionally associated with herbs, spices, and fruits.  Along those lines, here are some ideas:

• Giving of fruit and flower baskets to grandparents, special friends, or neighbors (definitely make your own!)
• Make lavender sachets.
• make Moravian spice cookies
• Put a vase of fresh flowers in every room

Here are Issues, Etc. podcasts on the mother of our Lord:

• Sandra Ostapowich "The Faith of the Virgin Mary"
• Pr. Josh Genig  "Mary, the mother of Jesus"
• Pr. George Borghardt "Mary, the mother of our Lord"

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.        (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)