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19 December 2007
Word on the Web
Luke 1: 26-38
During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, "Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you."
But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. God can do anything!"
Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.
You can't help but contrast Mary's and Zechariah's encounters with Gabriel. Both are startled by his appearance (unsurprisingly!), both are given news of a miraculous baby and both have questions about them. Yet at every point Mary's baby will surpass Zechariah and Elizabeth's i.e.:-
John will:
* Be great in the sight of the Lord
* Be a joy and delight to his parents
* Be a prophet ~ like Elijah
* Make ready a people for the coming of the Lord - a call to reconciliation and repentance
* Be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth
* Be called 'God has been gracious'
But Jesus will:
* Be great and holy
* Be the Son of the Most High God
* Be a King ~ greater than David
* Reign for ever
* Be conceived by the Spirit and therefore the Holy Spirit was in his DNA!
* Be called 'God is salvation'
Mary's baby is totally God's initiative, He is not a long prayed for child like John, she probably didn't have babies on her mind at all. Mary was around 13years old - the usual age for girls to get betrothed and would marry in a year or so. Only then would sexual relations with Joseph be acceptable. So Luke makes clear that it's God the Holy Spirit who creates her baby. Therefore Mary's pregnancy is, in reality, an even greater miracle than Elizabeth's, and her response is one of astonishment and then acceptance.
What an extraordinary young woman. Unlike your stereotypical teenager she didn't retort 'am I boverred?!' to Gabriel's astounding announcement. Instead she believes him, is puzzled as to how this will happen, but then gladly surrenders to the will of God. Why do you think she was able to do this when Zechariah couldn't?
Spend some time reflecting on this question and on the words below, and then turn your thoughts into prayer.
'The Lord has blessed you and is with you... God has shown you his grace... God can do anything'.
'I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say'.
If you are stuck you might like to:
* Ask God to help you to be more like Mary
* Praise Him for the ways He has blessed you or been gracious to you
* Consciously surrender to God' will for your life
* State your faith in God's ability to do anything He chooses to, for you, through you, and in you.
Written by Christine Gore
Word on the Web
Luke 1: 26-38
During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, "Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you."
But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. God can do anything!"
Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.
You can't help but contrast Mary's and Zechariah's encounters with Gabriel. Both are startled by his appearance (unsurprisingly!), both are given news of a miraculous baby and both have questions about them. Yet at every point Mary's baby will surpass Zechariah and Elizabeth's i.e.:-
John will:
* Be great in the sight of the Lord
* Be a joy and delight to his parents
* Be a prophet ~ like Elijah
* Make ready a people for the coming of the Lord - a call to reconciliation and repentance
* Be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth
* Be called 'God has been gracious'
But Jesus will:
* Be great and holy
* Be the Son of the Most High God
* Be a King ~ greater than David
* Reign for ever
* Be conceived by the Spirit and therefore the Holy Spirit was in his DNA!
* Be called 'God is salvation'
Mary's baby is totally God's initiative, He is not a long prayed for child like John, she probably didn't have babies on her mind at all. Mary was around 13years old - the usual age for girls to get betrothed and would marry in a year or so. Only then would sexual relations with Joseph be acceptable. So Luke makes clear that it's God the Holy Spirit who creates her baby. Therefore Mary's pregnancy is, in reality, an even greater miracle than Elizabeth's, and her response is one of astonishment and then acceptance.
What an extraordinary young woman. Unlike your stereotypical teenager she didn't retort 'am I boverred?!' to Gabriel's astounding announcement. Instead she believes him, is puzzled as to how this will happen, but then gladly surrenders to the will of God. Why do you think she was able to do this when Zechariah couldn't?
Spend some time reflecting on this question and on the words below, and then turn your thoughts into prayer.
'The Lord has blessed you and is with you... God has shown you his grace... God can do anything'.
'I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say'.
If you are stuck you might like to:
* Ask God to help you to be more like Mary
* Praise Him for the ways He has blessed you or been gracious to you
* Consciously surrender to God' will for your life
* State your faith in God's ability to do anything He chooses to, for you, through you, and in you.
Written by Christine Gore
