Mary’s Plea….

Imagine, if you will, a young woman, probably fifteen or sixteen, who lives with her parents in a small Judean town in the area of Galilee. Her mother and father are well-respected in their small town of Nazareth and they have chosen wisely for her …for she is the betrothed of a carpenter; a young man named Joseph, of the house and lineage of David. The appointed date of her marriage is quickly approaching when one day, shortly after her morning prayers, she is startled to see an angel standing before her….

He came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! But, she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with the God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:28-33

Imagine the shock…the surprise…the sheer magnitude of what is unfolding right before her eyes. She should have been completely and totally overwhelmed: but her reaction is one of wonder and youthful curiosity when she says, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Now, she did not question the angel’s authority or the possibility that such a feat was beyond the power of her Lord…her question was one of inquisitive thought ….and so Gabriel responded, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy- the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke1:35-37

Then Mary did the unthinkable as she responded, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 (my emphasis added)

She simply took God’s messenger at his word and pronounced her obedience to serve her Lord God as He saw fit. For Mary the choice was simple…. no rumblings…no arguing…no excuses as to why she could not do what the Lord ask….SHE SIMPLY SOUGHT TO BE OBEDIENT…to be a vessel to be used by the God she loved and served.

What do we learn from this young woman; surely, a central character in the cast of the Christmas story…. The lessons are twofold, I think.

First, we see her simple faith and child-like inquisitiveness….she did not question what God could do…she simply ask how he would accomplish such a miracle. We need to view this Christmas with the same spirit as Mary…and ask not if God can; but rather will He be so inclined to use us as we share the glorious message of a babe born in a manger. Are we willing to ask others if they know the Christ of Christmas or do we simply wish each of them Happy Holidays and motor on our way? Our curiosity should lead others to Christ this Christmas!

Secondly, we need to be obedient in our service to the Christ of Christmas. We are his feet and his hands and we are to go, tell, give, love, share and care for those that God puts in our path this Christmas. Don’t leave it to someone else to care for others this year….be obedient to share the reason for this season…and give as God gave to you…without holding anything back. In His unselfish giving, He gave His only begotten Son so that you could belong to Him.

May your Christmas plea be the same as Mary’s as you seek His will for you and your loved ones this Christmas….LET IT BE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.

Sharing Christ this Christmas….in word and deed,

WPQ


Poem for the day:

A fair young maiden rises from her morning prayers
Alarmed to see an angel from glory standing there.
She listens with an open heart to this messenger from above
And bows in humble reverence to the message of God’s love.

She asks not why, but how can this be; for I have known no man.
The angel tells her sweetly, “It is all part of God’s plan.”
So Mary believed, deep in her heart, exactly what she’d heard
And replied to the angel, “Let it be according to your word.”

WPQ @ December 2009