Some Questions:

• Why is Mary in such a hurry to get to Zechariah and Elizabeth?
• What are your thoughts about the reaction of Elizabeth's unborn child?
• What is the second result of Mary's greeting?
• What messages are contained within Elizabeth's words in verses 42ff?
• Is there a blessing implied here for anyone who believes?

Let's Think:
Mary sets out "in a hurry" to get to Zechariah's and Elizabeth's house for a quick visit.  Perhaps this is because she needs to make the trip before her pregnancy slows her down, or maybe she is just really excited to share the news.

At any rate, the result of her visit is where the meat of this passage lies.  First, the unborn baby inside of Elizabeth leaps.  Is it out of surprise of hearing Mary's voice or because he is reacting to the presence of the unborn Savior?  We don't have to wonder, because a Elizabeth tells Mary that he leaped out of joy.

The leaping is usually the part of verse 41, but maybe the second result of Mary entering the house is just as interesting:  Elizabeth is "filled with the Holy Spirit".  That likely indicates that the words she speaks next are inspired by the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lets her know that the baby is feeling joy at Mary's presence.  We can infer, because of the rest of her greeting, that it is really the Lord's presence that causes the joy and not simply the presence of a second expectant mother.  Since we've already seen that John would be filled with the Spirit himself (even in the womb), we get a glimpse into what that might mean.  Isn't it interesting that an unborn child can feel emotion?

Another result of Elizabeth's having the Holy Spirit is that she already recognizes that Mary's baby is special in that He is the Lord.  She even pronounces a blessing - or rather the Spirit, through Elizabeth pronounces a blessing - on Mary recognizing Mary's great faith that what the angel told her with come to pass.  There is a blessing on any person, even today, who believes in Jesus as the Savior. 

​As we learn in other Scriptures, however, just pronouncing a belief is insufficient.  Every believer should be compelled to be obedient to the receive fulfillment of the blessing.  Take note that Mary didn't just receive the message from the angel and sit on it until the birth: instead, she did everything the angel told her, also trusting that her husband had also received divine instructions. Without their obedience to the warnings and directions, the birth itself would be in danger.  God wouldn't have that happen - proof that He selected the right couple to carry out His plan.

When Adolf Hitler’s mighty armies drove all before them to the beaches of Dunkirk, England, the British Empire faced what they probably still regard as their “darkest hour”.  The land forces were stranded on the beaches, with the ocean in front of them and the German hoards bearing down on them from behind.
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It is true that those British soldiers were rescued by a flotilla of little, privately-owned boats, but the nation was now threatened with a German invasion, and ill equipped to repel it.  Winston Churchill was then Prime Minister of England, and had he come across with a miserable, pessimistic message, all might have truly been lost.  He did not do that.  Rather, he said, with a firm and courageous voice, “We will fight them on the beaches, we will fight them in the streets, we will never surrender.”  Churchill stirring, inspiring, motivating message gave encouragement and hope to a nation on its knees, and brought them forward to final victory.

In the days of the church’s infancy, despite remarkable growth, there was much reason to expect despondency and even pessimism.  On numerous occasions the apostles were imprisoned (Acts 5:18), Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7), James was beheaded (Acts 12:2), the Jerusalem church was scattered abroad, leaving only the apostles there to begin all over again (Acts 8:1).

But pessimism and despondency did not prevail.  Though Christians were scattered far and wide, they, with amazing courage, went everywhere preaching the Gospel (Acts 8:4).  Amongst all this persecution, Paul and Barnabas set off on their missionary journey (Acts 13).  What a positive, optimistic, courageous attitude in the face of enormous opposition!  Later, the apostle Paul writes with great conviction, One thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14).

Allan E. Flaxman, a Gospel preacher in New South Wales, Australia, asks, “What should our attitude be in this 21st century?  There is much to discourage us.  The Lord’s church is showing serious signs of weakening.  Far too often there appears to be an all-too-frail defense of the truth.  How often, these days, do we hear the cry of “We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent,” and “For us, the Bible alone is final and binding,” and “No book but the Bible, no creed but Christ,” and other such words of determination to stand firmly on the Will of God?  Not nearly enough!”

Let’s take the courageous attitude of the infant church.  We rub shoulders with the lost every day.  May God give us the courage we need to mount a real effort to reach these lost with the Gospel message which alone can snatch them from the flames of Hell before it is forever too late.

One poem ends with this verse:

Some Questions:

• Why is Mary's virginity important?
• Is the Holy Spirit a part of God?  Another God?  God?
• What does the word overshadow indicate in verse 35?​
• Will Elizabeth's pregnancy during her old age provide some comfort to Mary in her young age?
• What does the angel mean when he says, "Nothing will be impossible with God"?
• Describe Mary's response to the entire message from the angel.

Let's Think:
Gabriel, the angel, tells Mary that the Holy Spirit and the Most High will be involved from the very beginning - that is, from conception and throughout the boy's life.  Again, there is no need for Mary to fret about His safety.  Instead, she must trust in God and obey His instruction.

In fact, there is another child, a cousin, he announces.  Elizabeth is also miraculously expecting, but her family grows through the seed of her husband, Zechariah.  As much as it might bring comfort to Mary, not being alone in her expectation of a child, Mary's pregnancy is different.  ​Scripture makes a point to let us know that Mary is a virgin.  This is to fulfill Old Testament prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, but it is also to ensure that we understand that Jesus could not physically be the Son of Joseph or any mortal man.  He is to be the Son of God.

"Nothing is impossible with God."  That's an understatement, but one of which we must always remind ourselves. God uses the unlikely vessel of a virgin girl to deliver His Son to the world.  That's not something we should overlook in a study about our Savior.

Mary responds to the entire message from the angel in humility.  Calling herself "the Lord's bondservant" indicates that she knows her place in the plan and that she concedes to the mission.  What a huge responsibility!  What a huge thing for a young newlywed to accept after being surprised with just a few minutes of talking with this unexpected visitor!  Am I as willing to accept God's marching orders as Mary?  What must I do to be more receptive of my Christian duties?

• No matter what, teachers believe the grass is greener elsewhere.  Either you're in a school that prides itself on its culture, the effectiveness of teachers, and the drive of the students, or you're not.  We often do not recognize our own achievements because we're too busy looking to larger or more colorful districts.  We look at what other teachers and schools are doing on Pinterest or trending social media posts, and we fail to see the efforts that are being pulled off right under our noses.  We don't realize that others could be looking at us with the same green envy.  When this is done at the district level, look out!  Programs that have been adopted by other districts will start showing up as non-negotiables in your own.  After all, that district is larger and has more resources, so they must know better than we.  Right?  That school made newspaper headlines with their successes, so it stands to reason that we will do the same.  Right?  Wrong!  Why can't we be creative enough to solve our own problems?  Sometimes it is perfectly acceptable to re-invent the wheel!  We might just find that our new wheels finally get our cars off the ground.

 

• Employees are only allowed to use the district talking points.  I can't stand when a corporation, a store, or a school doesn't trust its employees to be positive.  If you want me to talk up the school or something we're doing within the walls of the school, you'll make sure that what we're doing makes me want to talk it up.  I don't want to be the spin doctor for the district.  I was not hired as a public relations officer or spokesman for the school; I was hired to teach.  As such, people will come to me to garner my opinion about educational events and issues, and I will continue to be honest with my responses.  You do not have the right to ask me to lie, gloss over, or cover up something, and if I don't agree with something that the school is trying, it should be OK to disagree with it - yes, even publicly.  Patrons deserve the honesty and teachers deserve the trust of the administration.

 

• Dissent is waved off.  Similarly, I should be able to voice my dissent to my peers and my bosses. Principals, superintendents, and school board members need to have thick enough skin to realize that their underlings might just have something to contribute to the conversation.  In fact, we might be able to tweak your ideas and goals, and we might just have a better idea altogether.  No person in a position of authority should be so weak as to believe they have to shut down dissent.  It is that dissent that could stop a school from falling into a great big hole.  Administrators and legislators do not have to surround themselves with sycophantic minions; instead, they should welcome opposing and challenging views.  Only then will difficult issues be solved.  It might be more difficult, and it might take longer, but it just could be worth it.

 

• Administrators are scared of litigation and sunshine laws.  Finally, there comes a time when the system collapses because of fear.  Here is probably the largest challenge of the 21st Century to date.  With Cancel Culture running rampant, false information being openly touted on social media, and real news being labeled as fake, people are afraid of being sued - no only by individuals with an ax to grind, but also by social justice organizations looking for more power by publicly castigating schools for moving an inch too far to the right or to the left.  What are schools to do about it?  The truth is, many of the suits filed are publicity stunts, and they might just catch up to all of us in the long run.  So at some point, we just have to do what we can do to the best of our ability and deal with the cookies as they crumble.  There's really not anything we can do to avoid these types of issues, and we just can't be afraid that every little movement we make might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

This is quite a list, and many of the bullet points do seem to weave into others.  The point is made in order to emphasize the cracking system.  Is it possible to tape up the cracks or rebuild the system and make it better?  I give you a resounding, "Maybe!"  It has broken before, and it may be on the verge of snapping apart again, but it doesn't have to if people will realize that there are better attitudes and approaches that can get education back on track in the United States.  We should be the envy of the world, but I'm afraid that often we receive laughter and scorn instead.  Why not work together to build a better world?

I'm excited to announce that the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) has recruited me to provide support for one of next summer's online teacher seminars.  

​I know that I will learn more than the participants as I prepare for the seminar.

Some Questions:

• How would you feel about somebody telling you what to name your child?
• What is the significance of the name Jesus?
• How will Jesus be great?
• Exactly whose Son will He be?
• How does a kingdom have "no end"?

Let's Think:
The responsibility laid at the feet of this young virgin girl is tremendous.  Perhaps it was not the fear of the angel that Gabriel told Mary to dismiss as much as it was the fear of what was to come.  After all, her responsibility does not end at the manger:  she is going to raise and protect this "Son of the Most High" throughout His life.  David's throne is at stake if she fails.  The house of Jacob is at risk.

But the angel tells Mary not to fear because she has found favor in God's sight.  The Boy's Name will be Jesus, meaning "God is Salvation".  God will protect His Son, the throne of David is safe, the house of Jacob will remain, and kingdom being established will last for eternity.  This is God's only begotten Son (John 3:16), and His Plan will not - can never - be derailed.  There is a lot of power in that thought.  With the protection of His Son and His Plan, comes the protection of faithful believers as well.

It is important to note that no one bows down to Mary.  At no point in inspired Scripture is there any instruction to pray through "the mother of God".  She is never established as an intercessor for our prayers.  The Son is the Intercessor.  It is through Jesus that we find our connection with the Father.  No other human has the authority to approach God directly as a go-between or interpreter of our prayers.

We know the educational system is not perfect, but that should not keep us from recognizing places that could be improved.  In a series of articles that identify a number of areas where the system could be corrected and placed on a better trajectory, I am offering some suggestions to that effect.  What you read below is the fifth installment.

• Administrators are scared of litigation and sunshine laws.  I understand.  It's a real concern.  We live in a society that is filled with the threat of lawsuit, and the education system is caught in the middle.  Sometimes that is warranted, for sure, but for a district to avoid true methods and creative lessons by using this as an excuse is a cop-out.  To restrain teachers with a blanket rule that ties their hands is a travesty.  How long will we operate in such a frightened system?

• Teachers at retirement age do not stick around any longer than they have to.  Why would we?  If we are constantly flooded with restrictions and strict timelines, if we are all the time trying to stay ahead of the wave, and we are not allowed to make professional decisions in regards to how we approach teaching and which methods to tout for our students, there are plenty of places we could still operate while having an impact on education.  When a teacher sits at the end of a career, often he is only working for a matter of a couple hundred dollars a month, and it's just not worth the stress and headaches.

• Observations become punitive.  I've heard of observers who invade classrooms unannounced, and I think that's terrific; in fact, I don't believe any observation should be scheduled.  However, if a class is engaged in activity, that observer must respect the moment and not interrupt to insist that a teacher conduct a formal teacher-led lesson.  Furthermore, observations should intend to be constructive and not punitive.  At no time should they be viewed as times to catch teachers in the act of neglecting their duties.  Observations of teachers in their classrooms should always seek to help the teachers improve.  If there are problems or issues that are not improving, then there may be reason to enact a new plan or do some troubleshooting.  I can't stand that administrators slip in for the simple purpose of ticking some boxes for their district requirements.

• Test scores become the goal.  It is often pointed out that test scores in the United States are low in contrast to the test scores of other countries on the planet.  On the other hand, the United States is a leading superpower that develops a great deal of the products and systems that those other countries use or would like to use.  We are leaders in research and development - in spite of our kids' test scores.  How is this possible?  Could it be that we are measuring success inaccurately?  Are our current testing methods giving us the wrong results?  Those tests tend to drive instruction, but I wonder if they should be the only thing we look at to determine the success of a school, a grade level, or a single classroom.  Where is the joy of learning assessed?  Where is the consideration of school culture?  If students and teachers do not feel safe or inspired to do better, there is no reason to look at their spring test  scores.  If they are miserable and nervous, there will be no true learning.

• Teachers go shallow (skim the surface) to keep up.  Finally (for this installment), there is just too much emphasis on the amount of material that teachers must cover in the year.  I can write about this over and over, but until we figure it out, teachers are just going to quickly skim each of the standards in order to fit them all in.  We must be allowed to cover things in a deeper manner in order to ground students in the material.  Otherwise, we will simply have to cover the same skills over and over.  We must establish firmer foundations for our students, and firmer foundations are only laid when deeper holes are dug.

I hope that someday we stop repeating the cycles that have proven to fail our pupils.  When do educators finally begin to learn from history and correct the mistakes of those who have come before us?  There is no reason we cannot tweak things to make them constantly improve rather than all the time throw out the babies with their bathwater!