December 6 – Day 7

Luke 1:26-33

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.

Mary was chosen by God to bring forth a Son.  Not just any Son, but the Son of God and Son of Man.  I cannot imagine what feelings and thoughts are swirling through Mary’s head and heart in those moments.  First, the messenger is an angel.  And then the news that he brings her is something no one else ever has or ever will hear.  This is news that will change the trajectory of her life in so many ways.

Can you think back to a point in time when a call or a message changed everything from then on in your life?  The first thing that comes to mind for me was a call from my youth minister’s wife asking if I would go with her and a couple other ladies to a sign language class when I was a junior in high school.  I thought it was a one-time event, but it was a nine-month commitment that amazingly changed so much in my life.  What about you?

What are some of the things you see that it changed for Mary?

• She becomes a mom
• She is the mother of Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man
• Her relationship with Joseph is at risk
• Her relationship with parents and those around her are at risk – will they believe her?
• The words of her cousin Elizabeth when she goes to visit
• Imagine raising children – Jesus being one of many – what that would have been like
• Remember the trip to Jerusalem and the prophecies she heard from Simon and Anna
• And the other trip where Jesus is “lost” and then found in the temple
• Not to mention watching from afar and then up close at the events of His three-year ministry, culminating with His death and resurrection

This Christmas season, remember God isn’t done using His people, the church.  He has things for you to do, things He has prepared for you, appointments He has made for you.  I doubt an angel will come and give you a message, but the Holy Spirit lives inside you and if you will listen and follow, He has wonderful life changing things for you, too.  Not as momentous as Mary, but still very important to the building of His Kingdom.  And you never know, God may well use you to be the life-altering messenger in someone else’s life this Christmas, pointing them to a different eternity if we will only listen and obey.