"Mary, did you know?"

09Dec
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

- Isaiah 35: 5-7


So in a break from the divisiveness of politics and culture wars: I bring you another question of controversy. Like the blue/gold dress debate a few years ago, what are your thoughts with “Mary, Did You Know?”


I had a good chuckle a few years ago reading about the different “controversies” surrounding whether Mary knew how amazing her baby boy was going to be or…was this more “mansplaining”? I mean, I don’t hate the song. I think I prefer Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers’ version the best, probably followed by Mary J. Blige’s. It’s obviously a popular song, covered by a number of different musicians, and included on many Christmas albums and playlists.


Much like how some people hold very definite opinions about not putting a Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, I think I also don’t hold a super strong opinion either way about this tempest in a tea pot either. For the record, I am Team “Live and Let Live” with your Christmas tree, and believe in doing whatever brings you joy. It might take me a hot second with 2 kids to get my Halloween decorations down AND Christmas decorations up before Christmas Eve, but then I turn my Christmas trees into Mardi Gras trees. And…they have been known to stay up until Easter, and then it’s a quick decorating turn around for Easter! So I don’t much care whether I miss a couple weeks in December since I enjoy the trees for so long.


Truthfully after reading a few different takes, I can see the nuance in both sides of the debate, and recently read an interview with Mark Lowry, the writer of the popular Christmas song. According to an interview in 2021, “The idea for the song dates back to conversations the 63-year-old had with his mother about Jesus and Mary. Most revolved around the question: What was it like to raise the son of God? ‘Literally, what was it like teaching the Word of God to talk?’ he said, referring to a title used for Jesus in the Gospel of John. ‘What was it like to give him a haircut? Did she ever walk into his room and say, ‘clean this mess up’?” He added that most of the questions he had did not make their way into the song — “only the ones that rhymed made it.”


In some ways, I can see his interpretation of wondering what it was like in the day to day with little boy Jesus. In other ways, I can see the interpretation of the eye roll of so many mothers, nodding along in exhaustion every time their precocious child does something else new and novel. On the other hand, just a quick google search confirms that people hold…very intense opinions about this song. But I also like the idea that Jesus and his birth and his life were like nothing we’d ever seen before. You can’t envision streams in the desert if you’ve never seen anything like that happen before.


So, how do you feel about this song? (And trust me, it’s cool to form your opinion once you’ve done a quick Google search to read different people’s and theologian’s takes on this song, I absolutely did the same thing!)


Musical Reflection - Mary, Did You Know - Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd


Gracious God, help me to trust, like Mary, that my life will magnify your love and point to Christ Jesus. Amen.

MusicUnderstandingAdvent

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