(This was preached on Sunday, December 18, 2005. If you would like to listen to the sermon via RealAudio, log on to http://www.boonescreekchurch.com/sermons . This will be on the site until Sunday, January 1st.)
Part III: Mary, did you know they would tell you that you could help redeem sinners?
A popular song sung during the Christmas season is “Ave Maria.” In fact, many sing this song in Protestant services. Why? Well, for one it is sung in Latin, so most folks who sing this do not know the words they are singing — nor do many care. It is set to such a beautiful setting by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) that this seems to be the biggest concern. (A word here — pay attention to what you are singing! You may love the tune, but Jesus did not tell us that we would be held accountable for the tunes we hum, but for the words we speak.)
Secondly, most do not see anything wrong with this theologically! But look at the words in English:
Hail Maria, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of thy womb.
Holy Maria, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death!
Amen.
There are so many issues with this: calling her ‘holy,’ the ‘Mother of God,’ etc. But primarily, the problem is that this is a prayer to Mary! Do we see this? This is a prayer addressed to someone other than God. We call it a prayer because we know from Mary’s faith and trust in Christ that she is in heaven. So this song calls on someone in heaven other than God to hear their prayer and take their prayers to God. This is called intercession.
Is this supported by Scripture? Not hardly! First Timothy 2:5 states, “There is but one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ is the only and exclusive intercessor in heaven between us and God. He is our sole mediator — and He is quite sufficient for the task. We need none other.
But we also notice the thrust of the prayer: “Pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death!” Many believe with all their hearts that Mary brings some sort of salvation. Even recent pronouncements by Popes give credence to this.
In 1964, Pope Paul VI stated:
Rightly, therefore, the Fathers see Mary not merely as passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of man’s salvation through faith and obedience. For as St. Irenaeus says, she being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.
In 1985, Pope John Paul II recognized Mary as co-redemptrix” during a speech in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He said, in part,
Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity…In fact Mary’s role as Co-redemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son.
In 1997, John Paul II again stated:
Mary … co-operated during the event itself and in the role of mother; thus her co-operation embraces the whole of Christ’s saving work. She alone was associated in this way with the redemptive sacrifice that merited the salvation of all mankind. In union with Christ and in submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all humanity.
They are so fixated on her that they believe even her image brings some measure of grace. For instance, in November 2004, a stale grilled-cheese sandwich sold for $28,000 on eBay. The owner kept this sandwich sealed up for 10 years — keeping it with her even when she went to Vegas and felt the powers from it help her win $70,000 at the tables. She made it clear to the bidders on eBay that this item was not intended for consumption. But we hear of these ‘sightings’ all the time and hear of how people set up makeshift shrines in her honor. Clearly, people believe that she has some power to either save or to have great influence on her Son to save those who call upon her.
What does Scripture (and, yes, Mary) say? In verse 50, she says, “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (italics mine).
Now, before we take issue with those who call on someone else other than Christ to save them, it should be told that many around this world are trusting in something else other than Christ to save them. It doesn’t have to be Mary, but it can be your good works, your money and contributions to the church and other charitable organizations. Martin Luther was right: “The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns. It is one thing to say, ‘Christ is a Saviour; it is quite another thing to say, ‘He is my Saviour and my Lord.’ The devil can say the first; the true Christian alone can say the second.” This is what Mary did — directing all the attention to the Lord.
