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Picture this...you are a young girl and an angel of God Most High announces you will give birth to the Savior. Most of us would faint if an angel appeared to us!! But Mary told the angel she was the Lord’s servant and she would do as asked. Why do you think God chose Mary? There are a couple of primary reasons. First, God showed, just as He had throughout the Old Testament times, He often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Second, Mary had found favor with God. Mary was true to the Old Testament teachings and knew God! Thirdly, Mary was available and willing to serve God. Mary did not ask the angel Gabriel "why", she asked the angel "how". Mary was dedicated to God and responded to His request of her service.
Again, picture this, you are a young man such as Joseph and looking forward to your wedding day. You discover your future bride is pregnant and the child is not yours. The decision of what to do is difficult. Joseph did not want Mary to be publicly disgraced. While you are trying to figure it all out, an angel comes to you and tells you the woman you love is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Again, most of us would faint or run but what did Joseph do? He did as the messenger of the Lord had told him to do. He married Mary and brought her home as his wife. Joseph and Mary were available for God to work through and both were willing to serve as requested.
How would you respond? Requests to serve God come in many different ways. It could be through a dream, or a friend in need, or through a need at your church, or through a total stranger that needs help. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things to carry out God’s work. While it is true that we won’t be asked to give birth to the Messiah, any service to God is of tremendous importance as it fits into God’s plan. Are you willing?
Christmas represents many things to different people. To Christians, the birth of Jesus is an event where God became man. The God-man, Jesus, was born. Born to a human but conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child was named Jesus - meaning ’the Lord saves’. Jesus’ birth reveals that Jesus is God incarnate. God in human form who came to live and die so we can live with him throughout eternity. To others, Christmas is a time of parties, gifts, time off from work, food, and lots of lights. Sadly in the United States today, saying "Merry Christmas" has been replaced in many places with the term "Happy Holidays". It is interesting some want all the things of Christmas but will not acknowledge the true meaning of the celebration.
To me, Jesus’ birth was the greatest gift mankind could have ever received. Every Christmas, I watch movies about Jesus’ birth and death. The two I watch these days are "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and "The Passion of the Christ". I admit that I cry through most of these two movies. Not because they are sad but because I know without the gift of Jesus, I would be forever lost. Jesus is truly the gift that keeps on giving. The Lord of Lords and King of Kings was born of a virgin, laid in a manger and wrapped in strips of cloth. No grand entrance into the world was made. No announcement to royalty was made. No announcement to the "religious" people of the day was made. The gift from God did not come wrapped in gold and silver. The gift from God was not born in a palace. The gift from God came much in a manner that ordinary folks are: simply and without major fanfare.
My prayer at Christmas is one of thanksgiving. I thank God that He chose to send His Son into the world so that we might be saved from eternal damnation. What is your prayer? Have you gotten all caught up in the "season" but forgot the "reason" for the season? This Christmas focus on the child. Focus on the reason He was born. Realize that you can make a tremendous difference in doing God’s work on earth simply by being like Mary and Joseph: available, willing, and in awe of God the Most High. If you need to rededicate your life to Christ do it this Christmas! There is no better time to start anew than at the time of year we celebrate His birth! Make your Christmas prayer one of thanksgiving and joy! For unto us, a Savior is born!!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Picture this...you are a young girl and an angel of God Most High announces you will give birth to the Savior. Most of us would faint if an angel appeared to us!! But Mary told the angel she was the Lord’s servant and she would do as asked. Why do you think God chose Mary? There are a couple of primary reasons. First, God showed, just as He had throughout the Old Testament times, He often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Second, Mary had found favor with God. Mary was true to the Old Testament teachings and knew God! Thirdly, Mary was available and willing to serve God. Mary did not ask the angel Gabriel "why", she asked the angel "how". Mary was dedicated to God and responded to His request of her service.
Again, picture this, you are a young man such as Joseph and looking forward to your wedding day. You discover your future bride is pregnant and the child is not yours. The decision of what to do is difficult. Joseph did not want Mary to be publicly disgraced. While you are trying to figure it all out, an angel comes to you and tells you the woman you love is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Again, most of us would faint or run but what did Joseph do? He did as the messenger of the Lord had told him to do. He married Mary and brought her home as his wife. Joseph and Mary were available for God to work through and both were willing to serve as requested.
How would you respond? Requests to serve God come in many different ways. It could be through a dream, or a friend in need, or through a need at your church, or through a total stranger that needs help. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things to carry out God’s work. While it is true that we won’t be asked to give birth to the Messiah, any service to God is of tremendous importance as it fits into God’s plan. Are you willing?
Christmas represents many things to different people. To Christians, the birth of Jesus is an event where God became man. The God-man, Jesus, was born. Born to a human but conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child was named Jesus - meaning ’the Lord saves’. Jesus’ birth reveals that Jesus is God incarnate. God in human form who came to live and die so we can live with him throughout eternity. To others, Christmas is a time of parties, gifts, time off from work, food, and lots of lights. Sadly in the United States today, saying "Merry Christmas" has been replaced in many places with the term "Happy Holidays". It is interesting some want all the things of Christmas but will not acknowledge the true meaning of the celebration.
To me, Jesus’ birth was the greatest gift mankind could have ever received. Every Christmas, I watch movies about Jesus’ birth and death. The two I watch these days are "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and "The Passion of the Christ". I admit that I cry through most of these two movies. Not because they are sad but because I know without the gift of Jesus, I would be forever lost. Jesus is truly the gift that keeps on giving. The Lord of Lords and King of Kings was born of a virgin, laid in a manger and wrapped in strips of cloth. No grand entrance into the world was made. No announcement to royalty was made. No announcement to the "religious" people of the day was made. The gift from God did not come wrapped in gold and silver. The gift from God was not born in a palace. The gift from God came much in a manner that ordinary folks are: simply and without major fanfare.
My prayer at Christmas is one of thanksgiving. I thank God that He chose to send His Son into the world so that we might be saved from eternal damnation. What is your prayer? Have you gotten all caught up in the "season" but forgot the "reason" for the season? This Christmas focus on the child. Focus on the reason He was born. Realize that you can make a tremendous difference in doing God’s work on earth simply by being like Mary and Joseph: available, willing, and in awe of God the Most High. If you need to rededicate your life to Christ do it this Christmas! There is no better time to start anew than at the time of year we celebrate His birth! Make your Christmas prayer one of thanksgiving and joy! For unto us, a Savior is born!!