Not to sound REMOTELY like your Sunday school pastor, but in the midst of all the holiday chaos/stress/exhaustion and never-ending threat of norovirus, it does feel like we can lose sight of quite a lot of what christmas is supposed to mean. And in fact, SO much of what we infer about the pretty little manger scene is completely culturally fabricated. Not least Mary. This talk is about her response to the angel’s message, and her song. This gospel before the gospel shows us Mary is nothing like the meekly obedient figurine we’ve made her out to be. Her obedience is revolutionary. She’s not supposed to be idolised. She’s supposed be an inspirational example of what saying yes to God - and his kingdom - looks like.