The People of Christmas, Part 2

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

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. 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. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-28)

(As a departure from the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, several years ago I did an Advent devotional series on the People of Christmas - The Prophets, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. I will be sharing these devotions over these four Sundays leading up to Christmas.)

Mary

The second person of the Christmas story is Mary. Mary was a quiet nobody living in obscurity, preparing to wed her fiancé Joseph. Being a young woman at that time, she was probably used to being told what to do, when to do it, and how. Yet, it seems somewhat strange that she didn’t appear to be too terribly concerned that an angel suddenly stood before and begin speaking with her, telling her what she was about to do.

Mary didn’t ask to be visited by an angel. She didn’t ask to become pregnant out of wedlock. And she certainly didn’t ask to be the mother of Jesus, the Savior of the world. But she submitted to God’s will for her life, and became the vessel through which salvation would come to her people as well as the Gentiles.

Mary could have protested. She could have made many excuses why she wasn’t the right girl for the job:

• She was too young
• She didn’t know enough Scriptures to be able to raise the Son of God properly
• Her father or her husband-to-be wouldn’t approve
• Townspeople would talk about this scandal
• No one would believe her if she told them an angel visited her

Maybe Mary was so awestruck by the appearance of the angel that she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Maybe she was too naive to consider the potential risks this situation might pose. Or maybe she was just a willing servant wanting to do whatever pleased her God.

Mary’s response was so simple. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Do we always have such a humble attitude when God calls us to serve Him? Or do we resist and make excuses, or even worse, make false promises? Mary set the standard for all of us. May we follow her example and always respond to God, “I am your servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Prayer:

Master of the Universe, may we be found submissive and yielding to Your call in our lives, and may we respond with humility and willingness to any task you set before us. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David