Page 16 - Lenten Devotional 2023

Week 1: February 27-March 3

Luke 2: 16 - 20
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary
treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they
had been told.

Reflection
Mary seems to me to be the epitome of a gracious host. Having recently given birth, still

recovering and bonding with her newborn son, she is thrust into the center of attention
as shepherds and perhaps others came to see the Christ Child. Her response to these
unannounced visitors was to treasure all these experiences in her heart. Being present

in the moment helps us to seize the opportunity to be welcoming.

Welcome Stories

The Sunday afternoon drive from my family’s farm southwest of Stanton, Iowa, to our
grandparents’ farm east of Essex always seemed like a tedious trek to the four kids who
were elbowing each another in the back seat of our 1959 Chevy Impala. We challenged

each other to competitions that involved spotting tractors, farm animals or landmarks
to make the 15 mile drive more tolerable. We kids, separated in age by anywhere from 2
to 9 years, looked forward to homemade sugar cookies, Kool Aid poured from a glass

pitcher, and games like Rook, Old Maid and Hi-Q. Grandpa and Grandma Patterson’s
house had a screened-in front porch, a front yard filled with pine cones, a pump organ
in our mom’s old bedroom and grassy spaces where kids could play while the grown-

ups talked. But, more than all of this, etched into my memory is the image of the
particular way my grandmother welcomed us. Clearly, she was waiting for our car to
pull into the short driveway because she appeared at the screen door immediately to

make sure that it was flung as far open as it could go. Grandma always seemed to wear a
flowered dress with an apron tied at her waist. She was a kind and gentle person who