DECEMBER 10TH
The Christmas Announcement
Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Can you think of some of the most famous mothers in all of history? Perhaps Marie Curie, Erma Bombeck, or Princess Diana? There are many famous mothers, but none even come close to Mary, the mother of Jesus. She has been the subject of countless paintings, sculptures, and songs. More little girls have been named after her than after any other woman who has ever lived. Mary was the only person who was present at both the birth of Christ and his crucifixion. She saw Jesus enter the world as her son and leave as her savior. Without a doubt, Mary's job was one of the most special and sacred of any that God has ever given to anyone. Naturally, people have spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly why God picked Mary for her special role and this great honor.
The Bible does not say she was perfect or sinless. Nowhere does it say she is equal to God or worthy of worship or to be prayed to. Yet out of the whole world, God chose this poor, undistinguished peasant girl from a no-name city to be the mother of God. If there was anything extraordinary about this ordinary Jewish girl, it could be found in her immediate response to the incredible things the angel told her. She referred to herself as the Lord's servant and expressed that she hoped everything that had been said would come true. Mary knew her life was going to look different from what she expected, and she probably guessed that she would encounter gossip and scorn when it came out that she was unmarried and pregnant. Yet when she learns what God's will and plan for her is, she doesn't think of herself; she simply believes and says yes.
Christmas has a lot to do with God's promises. God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would overcome evil. He promised Isaiah that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. He promised Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. He promised Mary she would conceive and give birth to the Savior of the world. God wants us to know that He keeps His promises. The angel even affirms that every promise from God shall surely come true. Why then do we continue to live as if we are not sure whether God can be trusted? Why do we hesitate to believe His promises today and follow His will when it has been revealed to us? Though God may not send angels with personalized instructions very often, He does have a unique and custom plan for every one of us, and a purpose He desires each of us to fulfill. God didn't choose Mary because she was smart, sinless, or talented, and those aren't the reasons he chose us. Rather, He uses ordinary people who believe in His promises, act as if they are true, and say yes. God is looking for people who are willing, even when it seems unpleasant, difficult, uncomfortable, or even dangerous. Mary's cousin Elizabeth tells her that she is blessed because she believes that the Lord would do what He said. Like Mary, we too can be used in extraordinary ways if our response to God is to believe and say yes. Let us pray today that we would be like Mary in this way, open to hearing the will of God and ready to believe it with a willing heart.
The Bible does not say she was perfect or sinless. Nowhere does it say she is equal to God or worthy of worship or to be prayed to. Yet out of the whole world, God chose this poor, undistinguished peasant girl from a no-name city to be the mother of God. If there was anything extraordinary about this ordinary Jewish girl, it could be found in her immediate response to the incredible things the angel told her. She referred to herself as the Lord's servant and expressed that she hoped everything that had been said would come true. Mary knew her life was going to look different from what she expected, and she probably guessed that she would encounter gossip and scorn when it came out that she was unmarried and pregnant. Yet when she learns what God's will and plan for her is, she doesn't think of herself; she simply believes and says yes.
Christmas has a lot to do with God's promises. God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would overcome evil. He promised Isaiah that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. He promised Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. He promised Mary she would conceive and give birth to the Savior of the world. God wants us to know that He keeps His promises. The angel even affirms that every promise from God shall surely come true. Why then do we continue to live as if we are not sure whether God can be trusted? Why do we hesitate to believe His promises today and follow His will when it has been revealed to us? Though God may not send angels with personalized instructions very often, He does have a unique and custom plan for every one of us, and a purpose He desires each of us to fulfill. God didn't choose Mary because she was smart, sinless, or talented, and those aren't the reasons he chose us. Rather, He uses ordinary people who believe in His promises, act as if they are true, and say yes. God is looking for people who are willing, even when it seems unpleasant, difficult, uncomfortable, or even dangerous. Mary's cousin Elizabeth tells her that she is blessed because she believes that the Lord would do what He said. Like Mary, we too can be used in extraordinary ways if our response to God is to believe and say yes. Let us pray today that we would be like Mary in this way, open to hearing the will of God and ready to believe it with a willing heart.