
Please see the special note at the bottom of this email.
Around our house, the hands down favorite Christmas song is Paul McCartney’s Let It Be. Maybe you’re saying, “Hold on. That’s not a Christmas song.” I wouldn’t fight you over it, but I love that Paul pretty much quotes Mary’s response to Gabriel’s announcement that she’s going to give birth to the Messiah!
The song is also popular around here because the Mom/Wife of the house does a wicked cover of it and used it as an anchor point in her sermon on Mary’s view of the Nativity this past Sunday. (If you’re inclined, you can watch here. The sermon begins at the 23.36 mark and the song at one hour.)
Mary’s “let it be to me” attitude, along with much more, both biblical and beyond, has earned her unique status for Christians. For Muslims as well.
She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran, showing up more often there than in the New Testament. In Sura 3.42, the Quran says, “O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.”
Muslims tend to refer to her as Maryam, but it’s the same mom and the respect is real. I suspect Mary, given the chance, would remind Christians and Muslims alike to focus on the the baby, learn from the man, follow the Messiah.
Should the Lord open a door for you this season, ask a Muslim about her thoughts on Mary. That conversation might quickly move to you both sharing thoughts on her baby! Sure, Muslims and Christians have important disagreements regarding the nature of that little rascal, but we both love him and his mom. And time spent talking about what we do agree on will not be wasted.
No Muslims to chat with? Join me in this Christmas carol challenge: For the next week, every time you hear a carol you dislike, take a moment to pray that many Muslims will find Jesus in a fresh way this Christmas.
Special Note: Thank you for reading Muslim Connect. In recent months for a variety of reasons, I’ve lost some quite significant donors to the ministry support that helps keep our family going. If God has blessed you this year and you’ve found value and maybe even some camaraderie in Muslim Connect, I’d like to ask you to make a monthly pledge to this work for 2025. I know this is a big ask, but trust you know you answer to God and not to me. If he leads you to make a monthly commitment, you can do so here. (Click in the “Select Designation” window, find me and follow the prompts.) Thank you very much for considering this.