What I Make of Mother Mary, as a Modern Mennonite

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, Pastor Phil Kniss lead the congregation in an exploration of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Anabaptists have pretty much ignored Mary. She appears at Christmas and at Easter but is not given a voice. We view with suspicion the veneration of Mary. But perhaps we have been missing some important lessons that Mary could teach us. Using Micah 5:2-5a and Luke 1:39-55 as texts to frame our thinking, Pastor Phil gave some thoughts on how our view of Mary might need to shift. Following the sermon, Patty Huffman, a Catholic lay leader, shared some of her thoughts and experiences interacting with Mary. When the Angel Gabriel visited Mary, Mary said, "Yes" to God. Can we say, "Yes" to God also?