READ: Luke 1:26-38
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
KEY THOUGHT:
When you consider the Christmas story carefully, you find many different characters and themes. The central element to the story is God’s great gift of His Son Jesus. Certainly, He is the focus of the season and of all the stories of Christmas… or at least, He should be! Even so, there are other characters that God’s Word specifically mentions. Along with Jesus, some who gain notoriety and scriptural proof of their roles include angels, shepherds and an innkeeper (though we have no certain evidence of the number or the names of these individuals). At some point after the birth of Christ there were wise men; and, although we can’t prove how many wise men there were, it seems convenient to sing about three. And then, there were Mary and Joseph. Their roles are unique among the others because they were both chosen by God to partake in the Savior’s birth in a more intimate way. Mary was just a virgin girl that God chose to bring forth His Son. Joseph was a loyal and humble man with the appropriate lineage that God chose to be Mary’s husband.
Other than Jesus Christ, of all these, Mary seems to get the most “reverence” for her role. Some have chosen to make her divine and even give her supernatural abilities. There is no scriptural evidence that those are characteristics of Mary. In fact, careful examination of Scripture shows that Mary was just a young virgin (probably in her mid to late teens) who had lived a pure life and had a heart that was submissive to God. She certainly demonstrated her frailty and humanity. She was no super-woman or goddess to be worshipped. She was just a girl doing God’s will in a special and most unique way. Certainly, we can understand that Mary had the most intimate encounter with God that has ever been documented, except perhaps for the prophetic revelation revealed to the apostle John in a personal way by Jesus Christ. Mary conceived by way of the Holy Spirit without intervention of man. She gave birth to God’s own Son as He took on the form of the Son of Man destined to save His creation. She did all this while being just a girl.
Here are three things we can glean from this Scripture passage concerning Mary, a young girl who met an eternal God
- Mary was a virgin and was a pure vessel for God’s purpose.
- Mary found grace in the sight of God.
- Mary was submissive to the will of God.
Keeping Christ first at Christmas requires us to keep each character in perspective and reserve the preeminence of Christmas for Jesus. As we draw closer to Christmas day, it’s worthwhile to take a glimpse into what it might have been like on that night when God used this young girl named Mary to play a role in His plan to save all mankind. Mary was just a girl who was willing to be set apart, surrendered and submissive to the will of God, and as a result was chosen by God for her role in the Savior’s birth. As previously mentioned, Mary was just a girl – not divine, not supernatural, and certainly not without fault. However, she was a prepared vessel meet for the Master’s use and, and became the only virgin in history to deliver a baby. As you Mary’s role in the story of Christmas, consider how God chooses the most unlikely of individuals to accomplish great things for His glory. Are you and I prepared for what God might call any of us to do, as just a man, just a woman, just a boy or just a girl?
CONSIDER?
- What made Mary a girl that God would choose to deliver Jesus?
- What role does humility play in the person of Mary?
- How can you be prepared to humbly serve God when He calls?
APPLICATION:
Recognize that God uses ordinary people to perform extraordinary things for His glory!
