As we dive deep into studying the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, let us now look at how it all started. I am talking about Mary’s angelic visit. It begins with, “and in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:26-31) So the angel Gabriel visited Mary and first told her that she was highly favored in the sight of God, and that the Lord is with thee. God saw her continued devotion to Him and called her blessed among all women. Wow! Imagine if He saw you this way? That would be awesome, right? Earlier the angel said that the Lord was with her, which also meant that she was carrying God, Himself, in her womb. And soon she will deliver this child, whose Father is the Most High God. And His Name, which we will always cherish and give our devotion to would be given as Jesus. Oh, how we praise Him!
Now, concerning Jesus, Mary’s child from on High, it is written that “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:32-38) As the angel said, Jesus was given the throne of David, that He may rule over the house of Jacob, even Israel, forever. His kingdom has no end, which we know can be found in each of His believers through the Holy Spirit. God allowed Mary to carry Jesus, who is called Emmanuel, or God with us. For with Him, nothing is impossible. And we can all learn from her when she said, “be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Allow God to do His will in your life and you shall be saved.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, we come before You this day in honor and praise. We would not be where we are today if You had not come into our lives. Thank You, God. We extol You. You deserve the glory! There is nothing we deserve for what we do, but only You, Lord. We give You the glory and the praise. Don’t allow us to fall victim to Satan, but keep us in Your abundant and marvelous light. We don’t wish to sin against You any longer, but to have You keep us secure on Your holy and upright path. And even now do we say to You, “have Your way in our lives. Be it unto us according to Your will.” We are stronger with You in our lives but are so weak when we neglect to seek Your hand. However, we no longer wish to sin against You, God. Take us up in Your arms and never let us escape You again. Cast out every wicked thing in our lives that still remains. Break those barriers of unforgiveness and guilt and shame. If you have forgiven us, help us also to forgive ourselves and others. We know how grateful we are to have Your mercy in our lives and we ask that Your mercy will flow deep in our lives and into other people’s lives also. And help us to continue to remember You at all times and in all places. This way You can be near to us, and we can walk faithfully in Your sight. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks. We love You, God, and are not ashamed to tell others about You, also, no matter the consequences. Amen.
