On January 1 many Christians, as they continue to focus their attention on the Nativity, do so by remembering how Jesus’ mother cared for her Child. Not only did she initially say Yes to God’s desire to enter our human world in the most intimate way possible, she carried the fetal Son of God in her womb for nine months and gave birth to the Savior of the world. As a refugee, she fled by night with Joseph to Egypt and lived there--no doubt in poverty like most refugees. Along the way she nursed him at her breasts and later fed him as a toddler, cooking His meals over primitive fires. Like other mothers, she washed his clothes at riversides and hung them out to dry on nearby bushes. She told Him Bible stories she had memorized, prayed the daily Shema and played with Him in the backyard. At night she showed Him the stars, and during the day she taught Him His alphabet. She introduced Him to her friends, took him weekly to Sabbath synagogue worship, and annually trekked with Him to the great Temple in Jerusalem for the Passover celebrations. Together they attended the wedding at Cana. She watched her Son die on the cross. She was again and again with the apostles after the Resurrection. The Mother of Jesus was in many ways responsible for the vision of Christ as a baby, toddler, young boy, teenager, young man who taught and still teaches us how to live in the kingdom of God. From the first to the last she was with Jesus.

We all know how deeply Christians in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches revere Mary. Today, many others in the “holy catholic Church” (as we define ourselves in the Creeds)—Lutherans, Anglicans and Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, to name but a few communities—are also honor Mary for her role in our salvation. If you wish to know more about this trend, this ancient understanding of Mary, and see for yourself how you might envision Mary in your personal faith, I recommend the following essay and book:

Timothy George, “Evangelicals and the Mother of God”

Timothy George, an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention, is the dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and a member of the First
Things editorial board.

Scot McKnight, The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus.

Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).
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You may also wish to read what Martin Luther says about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

If during the Church Year, your attention is turned to the Mary (as, for example, during Evening Prayer with your praying the Magnificat), you may wish to thank God for Mary's place in salvation history; or, if you're persuaded by some of what you have read about the role of Mary in the life of the Church, you may to thank her personally.