COME TO THE MANGER -- Mary
Luke 1:26-38
The new movie, "The King's Speech" has brought to the world the story of King George IV of England. This man who took the throne of England reluctantly, suffered from a debilitating stutter, chronic health problems, and graduated at the bottom of his class at the Royal Naval Academy. He wrote in his diary, that when he told his mother, Queen Mary, that his brother Edward had abdicated, and that he would become king, he "broke down like a child and sobbed." He was filled with fears and doubt.
I know there have been times in my life that after the excitement of a promotion or a new job opportunity wore off, I've had doubts about my qualifications and abilities. I asked myself, "What have I gotten myself into? How am I ever going to be able to do this?"
New, expectanbt parents, once the reality of impending parenthood and all it's responsibility hits, wonder, "How am I suppose to care for and raise another human being?"
Mary was confused and frightened. The Angel had called her a gifted lady who had found favor with God. She knew there was nothing special or outstanding about her. She was just an ordinary girl, not particularly known for her righteousness or her adherence to the Torah, like her cousin Elizabeth's husband, Zachariah.
She had her doubts, and she asked the angel, "how?" How was God going to overcome the biological barrier of her virginity?
Doubt is a natural human reaction. Like King George IV, we're well aware of our limits and our failures. Events and challenges that are bigger than our abilities and our experiences frighten us, and we ask, "How ...?"
Yet, the re-occurring miracle in the Bible, in the Christmas Story, and in our own lives is "how" -- how God overcomes human limitations and makes the impossibile possible.
The answer to Mary's "how?" was "God." God had a plan, and nothing is impossible for God.
While we're probably not going to be giving birth to the Messiah in a stable, Mary's story is very much like our own.
Like Mary, we're ordinary human being with an extraordinary God. What we lack, God provides. What we can't do, God can. What God orders, God pays for.
Like Mary, upon whom God's Spirit lay, God's grace by the Holy Spirit, lays upon us, surrounds us and overshadows our lives.
Like Mary, who carried the Messiah within her, by the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells with us and is ever present with us.
The miracle of the impossible made possible is not just for Christmas or only for Mary. It's for every day of the year and for each one of us.
Whether we're facing personal hardship or crisis, an overwhelming challenge, stepping out in faith in obedience, or struggling with finding meaning and purpose in our lives, the answer to "how ... ?" is God through the gift of Jesus Christ.
The new movie, "The King's Speech" has brought to the world the story of King George IV of England. This man who took the throne of England reluctantly, suffered from a debilitating stutter, chronic health problems, and graduated at the bottom of his class at the Royal Naval Academy. He wrote in his diary, that when he told his mother, Queen Mary, that his brother Edward had abdicated, and that he would become king, he "broke down like a child and sobbed." He was filled with fears and doubt.
I know there have been times in my life that after the excitement of a promotion or a new job opportunity wore off, I've had doubts about my qualifications and abilities. I asked myself, "What have I gotten myself into? How am I ever going to be able to do this?"
New, expectanbt parents, once the reality of impending parenthood and all it's responsibility hits, wonder, "How am I suppose to care for and raise another human being?"
Mary was confused and frightened. The Angel had called her a gifted lady who had found favor with God. She knew there was nothing special or outstanding about her. She was just an ordinary girl, not particularly known for her righteousness or her adherence to the Torah, like her cousin Elizabeth's husband, Zachariah.
She had her doubts, and she asked the angel, "how?" How was God going to overcome the biological barrier of her virginity?
Doubt is a natural human reaction. Like King George IV, we're well aware of our limits and our failures. Events and challenges that are bigger than our abilities and our experiences frighten us, and we ask, "How ...?"
Yet, the re-occurring miracle in the Bible, in the Christmas Story, and in our own lives is "how" -- how God overcomes human limitations and makes the impossibile possible.
The answer to Mary's "how?" was "God." God had a plan, and nothing is impossible for God.
While we're probably not going to be giving birth to the Messiah in a stable, Mary's story is very much like our own.
Like Mary, we're ordinary human being with an extraordinary God. What we lack, God provides. What we can't do, God can. What God orders, God pays for.
Like Mary, upon whom God's Spirit lay, God's grace by the Holy Spirit, lays upon us, surrounds us and overshadows our lives.
Like Mary, who carried the Messiah within her, by the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells with us and is ever present with us.
The miracle of the impossible made possible is not just for Christmas or only for Mary. It's for every day of the year and for each one of us.
Whether we're facing personal hardship or crisis, an overwhelming challenge, stepping out in faith in obedience, or struggling with finding meaning and purpose in our lives, the answer to "how ... ?" is God through the gift of Jesus Christ.
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