This sermon by Pastor Eric offers a reinterpretation of the Biblical figure Mary, mother of Jesus, moving beyond traditional romanticized or sanitized narratives. By highlighting the historical context of Mary’s life under the tyrannical rule of King Herod and the Roman Empire, we begin to meet a Mary who was not simply “meek and mild,” but a courageous figure who moved through her fear, confusion, and resistance before ultimately giving her "audacious yes." Beyond faith as simple obedience, Pastor Eric challenges listeners to see Mary’s initial question and hesitation as an act of agency and self-preservation in a dangerous world. As such, Mary embodies faith not as the absence of fear, but as a “trembling resolve” to move forward despite it. In this, she serves as a model for all of us to "do it afraid" in our own lives.
