Christmas
is a wonderful time of the year.
We’re
preparing for Christmas – it’s Jesus’ birthday.
When people have a birthday, they often have a party. They invite their family and friends to come
over and everyone celebrates.
But when
Jesus was born, he came quietly, and silently…no one knew who he was except his
Mother and his Father.
Did you
know how Jesus was born?
Well, it was a
miracle. In God’s word, this is how it occurred.
Luke 1:26-28
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Mary is a
young girl, we don’t know how old, but we know she lived in a small village,
and we also know that she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.
She was
going to marry Joseph, who had come from a family that once had the most famous
of all Jewish people – King David.
On this one
day, God said to Gabriel: “Go, now is
the time to tell Mary what I’m about to do”.
And that’s
how Gabriel comes to Nazareth…to speak to Mary what God told him to say.
He was sent
to tell her that she was going to be the Mother of God’s Son, Jesus.
Luke 1:30-31
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Mary wasn’t
sure how it could happen because she wasn’t married yet; but the angel Gabriel
told her that she was going to have a special birth – a birth like no other
woman would ever have:
Luke 1:35
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
And you
know what Mary said to the angel Gabriel?
She said, “Yes”…
“Tell the Lord that I say Yes”.
Mary said
that she would be the Mother of Jesus!
Here’s a
video that might help you imagine how it could have happened.
To say “Yes”
to God is to believe Him, to trust in Him, and to say that He knows what is
true and therefore what we can believe and trust in.
How can you
say “yes” to God?
Perhaps in
listening to your parents, or by being polite to others. Maybe it comes from listening to God’s word
and doing what it says – that’s called obedience.
Saying Yes
to God is a wonderful way to invite God into your life and ask him to be with
you wherever you go.
Here’s a
coloring page of Mary when Gabriel came to her that you can draw:
For Parents and Other Not Kids:
It's hard
to comprehend that Mary was still a teenager when God chose her and the angel
was sent to ask her to become part of God's plan.
As the story of
Immanuel begins a young woman - a virgin teenager - appears.
Mary's
encounter with the angel Gabriel is brief but the choice she makes is to say
"yes" to God.
Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)
26 In the sixth month, 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 be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob 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 upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called 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 barren is in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God."
38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)
26 In the sixth month, 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 be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob 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 upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called 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 barren is in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God."
38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
"May
it be to me as you have said".
That might
be the most simple, and yet the best statement of faith that exists.
To say,
"Yes Lord", in any area of our lives is faith.
Think about
it: this poor, young peasant girl is willing to do the unfathomable.
She says
“yes” to God, and so she also says yes to "questioning",
"suspicion", "finger-pointing", "gossip",
"shame".
A young
virgin girl conceiving a child by God...impossible!
What would you say if someone called you with
that line? Yet, here she is, this young girl, this young woman who says
"May it be to me as you have said."
We
Protestants do not venerate her (a way of honoring one called a “saint”), but
we do admire her, and we should honor her. She is a model of faith for
all who would say they want to live their lives for the Lord.
Thomas
Merton said of Mary, "Mary was as pure as the glass of a very
clean window that has no other function than to admit the light of the
sun."
Think about
it: God could have chosen anyone of the many young girls that lived in
Israel at the time, and yet he chose THIS ONE…this young girl named Mary.
I think we must sit back and admire God’s choice.
“May It Be
to Me
As You Have Said
It was the whisper
of a young woman's ready response to God
that opened to the miracle of saving grace
entering our world in the person of Jesus, Our Lord.
- Jack Hayford
May we be as open to God, a window like Mary, to let in his light.
As You Have Said
It was the whisper
of a young woman's ready response to God
that opened to the miracle of saving grace
entering our world in the person of Jesus, Our Lord.
- Jack Hayford
May we be as open to God, a window like Mary, to let in his light.
Peace
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