If you believe that Christmas is all about Santa Claus, shopping, decorating with tinsel and making snowman shaped cookies, then this series of posts won't be for you.
As fun as all these things are, it is not what I believe is the real reason for Christmas.
I'd like to share with you some of the things that are most important to my family during this Christmas season.
Every Christmas Eve, we sing Christmas songs and act out the story of the birth of baby Jesus with our Precious Moments nativity scene. It was adorable as our elementary school age boys would read the Christmas story from a children's book and move the characters around. As they've gotten older, my kids' ages range from 10 to 24 years old, the tradition has changed a little bit but the story is always the same.
It's a simple story of a young teenage girl named Mary who was engaged to a young carpenter named Joseph.
One day when she was completing her chores, the angel Gabriel appeared to her. What would you do if an angel appeared to you?
Let's read the story!
Luke 1:26-38New Life Version (NLV)
Gabriel Speaks to Mary
26 Six months after Elizabeth knew she was to become a mother, Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. Nazareth was a town in the country of Galilee. 27 He went to a woman who had never had a man. Her name was Mary. She was promised in marriage to a man named Joseph. Joseph was of the family of David. 28 The angel came to her and said, “You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. *You are chosen from among many women.”
29 When she saw the angel, she was troubled at his words. She thought about what had been said. 30 The angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God. 31 See! You are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early father David sat. 33 He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I have never had a man.”35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will cover you. The holy Child you give birth to will be called the Son of God.
36 “See, your cousin Elizabeth, as old as she is, is going to give birth to a child. She was not able to have children before, but now she is in her sixth month.37 For God can do all things.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am willing to be used of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel went away from her.
Here is this sweet Jewish girl, betrothed to a young Jewish man. She's doing her chores, learning how to be a good wife. She was raised to believe that the promised Messiah was coming. Little did she know that she would be chosen to be his mother.
BUT GOD CHOSE MARY. SHE HAD
FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.
WOW!!
How many times have I prayed at the end of the day "I hope I have found favor with you, God."
What kind of faith does it take to say what Mary said at the end of the passage?
"I am willing to be used of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said."
How many of us would have said, "Are you kidding me? I have school to finish, prom, college classes to attend, parties I need to go to!"
"I AM WILLING TO BE USED
OF THE LORD."
Tomorrow, I'll look at how Joseph felt when Mary told him she was pregnant and they probably hadn't even gone on their first date yet!
WHAT??
Love y'all,
Linda
