What would you think if you got this Christmas card?

This from Ben Bell, every year Ben puts out some great Advent cards and Christmas cards that his church uses as invitations...the images are always thought provoking, and stir up great conversation. As Ben points out...

I Got an email today from Elaine Olsen AKA  Cassies Grandma

I was searching for Christmas clip art and found your site with the pregnant Mary.  I thought you might be interested in some of the response I got when I posted it on a message board.  I really like it by the way.  But I am afraid there is no church I know brave enough to use it.

She asked the question ‘What would you think if you got this Christmas card?’ and got an amazing number of responses. I have had quite a bit of feedback from all over the world in response to the card which I first posted in 2004 but I haven’t received such full on criticism before which is quite a laugh I think! words like blasphemy and disgusting haven't been used before in response to the image and apparently, according to Dana

A real Christian would be offended to receive such a card. A lot of people claim to be Christians who are not. No true Christian would approve of this.

I keep asking myself, why does this image seem to bother people, especially " christians ", this image is likely much closer to the reality of Mary than the " Hallmark " images of christmas that distort our minds.

And this Advent reflection from Bill Millar over @ The Old Bill...we really do need to awaken from our slumber, of the nice, comfy and cosey christmas we've created....to the incarnation of God breaking into humanity.

Advent Reflection 2: Mary

She was thirteen or thereabouts,
pregnant,
still a child herself.
No vote, no rights, no husband,
no education,
in a small village in an occupied land.
So why would you,
the Great God of the Universe,
pick this peasant girl?
Why not some queen
dressed in blue and gold
like those statued madonnas?

I think we've had it wrong all along.
It's not that she was so saintly,
so pure,
so serene, so special,
but that she wasn't special at all.
Maybe she even had zits.
It was God picking someone mundane,
to show that we are all special,
God choosing what is simple
to confound the wise,
the banal
to shock the glitterati,
the castdown
to shame the exalted.

Mary understood,
Why has God chosen me, a handservant?
To pull the mighty down from their thrones,
and raise up the lowly,
to fill the hungry with good things
while the rich walk away empty-handed.

She could have been any downtrodden woman,
broken,
child of oppression.
In fact,
that is who she always is,
always has been,
and those peasant children of hers
have been messiahs,
but we  were too busy
with our census, our mutual funds
our wars
to notice...Bill Millar

This from Ben Bell, every year Ben puts out some great Advent cards and Christmas cards that his church uses as invitations...the images are always thought provoking, and stir up great conversation. As Ben points out...

I Got an email today from Elaine Olsen AKA  Cassies Grandma

I was searching for Christmas clip art and found your site with the pregnant Mary.  I thought you might be interested in some of the response I got when I posted it on a message board.  I really like it by the way.  But I am afraid there is no church I know brave enough to use it.

She asked the question ‘What would you think if you got this Christmas card?’ and got an amazing number of responses. I have had quite a bit of feedback from all over the world in response to the card which I first posted in 2004 but I haven’t received such full on criticism before which is quite a laugh I think! words like blasphemy and disgusting haven't been used before in response to the image and apparently, according to Dana

A real Christian would be offended to receive such a card. A lot of people claim to be Christians who are not. No true Christian would approve of this.

She was thirteen or thereabouts,
pregnant,
still a child herself.
No vote, no rights, no husband,
no education,
in a small village in an occupied land.
So why would you,
the Great God of the Universe,
pick this peasant girl?
Why not some queen
dressed in blue and gold
like those statued madonnas?

I think we've had it wrong all along.
It's not that she was so saintly,
so pure,
so serene, so special,
but that she wasn't special at all.
Maybe she even had zits.
It was God picking someone mundane,
to show that we are all special,
God choosing what is simple
to confound the wise,
the banal
to shock the glitterati,
the castdown
to shame the exalted.

Mary understood,
Why has God chosen me, a handservant?
To pull the mighty down from their thrones,
and raise up the lowly,
to fill the hungry with good things
while the rich walk away empty-handed.

She could have been any downtrodden woman,
broken,
child of oppression.
In fact,
that is who she always is,
always has been,
and those peasant children of hers
have been messiahs,
but we  were too busy
with our census, our mutual funds
our wars
to notice...Bill Millar

Comments

[jim]

Personally, I like the card, but I am wondering if, as normally the case, there is more to the message on the inside besides "Joyous Noel!"........

[ron]

As far as to what was on the inside, it was simply the times of the services. Ben had this to say...The idea (inspired by Kester Brewin) was to put some humanity into the Christmas story again, move from the nativity just being mythical fantasy to people questioning, feeling, imagining.

I think the image shatters alot of preconcieved notions...Mary being pure and lily white for one. And the words envoke the sense of an emotional storm that most have experienced around Christmas. I loved the card. Peace Jim, thanks for dropping by as always.

[Sacred Art of Living]

I love this card too Ron, thanks for sharing it. I actually swore off sending cards this year for a number of reasons, but this one I could get excited about. I think people are bothered because it is challenging and it doesn't sterilize Christmas and tie a giant bow on it.

[bill]

"Once there was a girl
who was Mary every Christmas Eve.
She reminded everyone of her,
and she didn't even
have to volunteer.
Then she met a fellow named Joe.
He was older
and good to her.
Her skin is till soft.
She cannot be Mary
this Christmas,
because she is pregnant."
- from "'I' Opener: 80 Parables" by Herbert Brokering.

Mary is such a powerful, vulnerable image - here's a bit i wrote too http://theoldbill.typepad.com/thebackroom/2005/11/advent_reflecti_1.html

Bill

[ron]

Brother Bill, I hope you don't mind me posting the contents of your link in my post with the image...your words are so fitting of the divine beauty and truth around the reality of Mary...We need a fresh revelation around christmas...to be awakened from our slumber, of the christmas we've created. Peace Bro'... Ron+

Very thought provoking. I recently read along similiar thought patterns in "The Jesus I Never Knew" it influenced me to think about the type of Christmas card I would create and I realized how great it would be if people did create these cards and they were available at churches during the season. (If this posts it means my blog is fixed!) Paige

[ron]

Paige, thanks for dropping in, it looks like your problem has been fixed. I agree with you that there is an underlying truth in good images that seems to speak often better than words.Even the power of thoughtfully chosen words, sound bites...seen to flip a switch that make us think beyond what were used to.Pax...Ron+