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Mary of Bethany Song Cycle – Introduction

The Bible character I most identify with is Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The one who would rather sit at Jesus’ feet and listen than cook Him dinner. The one who cried so hard He cried right with her. The one who didn’t seem to have had a wacky disease or seven demons; she just had a normal life in a God-fearing family and then one day Jesus came along and made Normal into something so much better.

The one who is always found in the same place.

Mary had a Place, a Place where she belonged. She appears in the gospels in three different stories, feeling very different emotions and doing different things, yet in all three stories, we discover her in the same place. Mary found her Place, in every season, at the feet of Jesus.

While her sister is cooking, Mary is sitting at Jesus feet (Luke 10:39).

While her brother is lying in a tomb, Mary is weeping at Jesus’ feet (John 11:32).

And when her brother is raised from the dead, eating dinner with Jesus, and her sister is at peace, no longer frazzled or angry, but still serving Jesus dinner to show Him love the way she loves best, Mary finds her place once more at Jesus’ feet, and gives Him the biggest thing she has to give to say thank You (John 12:2-3).

And in each season of my own life, whether listening, grieving, or worshiping, this story has meant something to me. And song after song has come out of those seasons. So the next weekly series I plan to post, starting tomorrow, is a series of three very different songs about the three very different stories of Mary at the feet of Jesus.

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One Comment

  1. Laura Laura

    I really like this post and am looking forward to the songs! Neat insights into which Mary is in which scene, something I’ve never sorted out myself!

    Love from Laura!

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