But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. - Luke 1:30.
The story of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus is one that is embedded in our culture. It was a miraculous event that we celebrate with much fanfare. We approach this time of year with great excitement because it represents joy, sacrifice, and salvation!
My guess, though, is that Mary did not look at every moment during this time as a joyful event. She had a plethora of feelings to navigate about unexpectedly having a child, cultural repercussions, and the logistical impact of having a new family member to take care of. On top of this, Mary knew from stories of her ancestors, that if an angel came to visit, there was a life of hard work and sacrifice ahead. Also, she would be criticized and questioned about every word the angel said to her. This was not going to be a comfortable life. Her initial fear made sense.
Despite all of this, Mary stayed faithful and even found joy in the new path God had for her. She had faith that she would be blessed if she obeyed and trusted in God’s provision and direction.
Christmas is a joyful time of year, but not because of presents or beautiful lights. It is because God orchestrated a miraculous event that required obedience, trust, and faithfulness in order to execute. The main reason is obviously that God came to earth to live among humanity, but we can also celebrate that He chose the right people at the right time.
The Christmas story also shows us that God desires to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I think this is so we don’t get all the credit, and He gets the glory. If we trust in Him, we can be a conduit for His power and work.
Give God the glory today, because His work is perfect and right. His is always right on time, and His power is remarkable.
Prayer for today: God, thank you for coming to the earth to be among us. Help me to never take that for granted. Amen.
This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. You can find his blog here: ministrysauce.com
The story of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus is one that is embedded in our culture. It was a miraculous event that we celebrate with much fanfare. We approach this time of year with great excitement because it represents joy, sacrifice, and salvation!
My guess, though, is that Mary did not look at every moment during this time as a joyful event. She had a plethora of feelings to navigate about unexpectedly having a child, cultural repercussions, and the logistical impact of having a new family member to take care of. On top of this, Mary knew from stories of her ancestors, that if an angel came to visit, there was a life of hard work and sacrifice ahead. Also, she would be criticized and questioned about every word the angel said to her. This was not going to be a comfortable life. Her initial fear made sense.
Despite all of this, Mary stayed faithful and even found joy in the new path God had for her. She had faith that she would be blessed if she obeyed and trusted in God’s provision and direction.
Christmas is a joyful time of year, but not because of presents or beautiful lights. It is because God orchestrated a miraculous event that required obedience, trust, and faithfulness in order to execute. The main reason is obviously that God came to earth to live among humanity, but we can also celebrate that He chose the right people at the right time.
The Christmas story also shows us that God desires to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I think this is so we don’t get all the credit, and He gets the glory. If we trust in Him, we can be a conduit for His power and work.
Give God the glory today, because His work is perfect and right. His is always right on time, and His power is remarkable.
Prayer for today: God, thank you for coming to the earth to be among us. Help me to never take that for granted. Amen.
This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. You can find his blog here: ministrysauce.com
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