"And he came and said to her 'Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you.'" - Luke 1:28
Last week we celebrated the birth of our Savior, and people around the world read about the miracle of His conception, the trip to Bethlehem, the shepherds, the angels, and the wise men. There are many characters in this wonderful story of our faith, but I want to focus on one in particular: His mother Mary. Of all of them, she was the first to know about what was about to take place, and the first to have to accept her part in the story.
Most of the images depicting Mary show a lady in her mid-twenties at least, the age many would associate with someone engaged to be married. However, this is likely not the case. In that time, it was common for a girl to become betrothed when she was still in her early teens, often to a man who was much older and had already established a career. Jewish betrothal was as binding as a marriage, with the only difference being that the man had not yet taken the woman into his home.
It was during the midst of this period of waiting to be received into Joseph's home that the angel Gabriel enters her house and greets her with the words quoted in the verse above. I often wonder what she was thinking during that interaction. The angel was telling her that she had not only found favor with God, but was chosen to carry His Son, a task that in today's world would not be that big of a deal, but in that time was a dangerous mission indeed. Women who became pregnant before they were married were to be stoned to death, even if they were betrothed and the child they carried belonged to their fiance. It's no wonder that she went to go see her cousin for a few months. According to what the angel had said, her cousin was also in the midst of a miraculous pregnancy, and would likely be the most understanding of her situation.
About three months later, she returns to her hometown, likely showing the first signs of her pregnancy. Joseph notices, and plans to divorce her in private and send her away before her pregnancy puts her in danger. Then the same angel visits him and tells him to not be afraid to marry her because she is pregnant not from another man, but from the Holy Spirit. He listens and marries her right away before people can talk.
Then about six months later as she's nearing the end of her pregnancy, Joseph finds out that he has to take her down to Bethlehem to be registered, a journey that would prove difficult under normal circumstances, but was likely horribly uncomfortable for her during that time. After that long, tiring, and painful journey, all she wanted was a nice bed to lay down on, but there were none available because every other person from Bethlehem was also there. Then she begins to realize that the baby is coming, and Joseph has to rush to find a place for her to give birth. While the barn they settle in for the night is far from ideal, the soft straw coating the floor makes it better than the hard ground outside. When she gives birth, she has to wrap her newborn in rags and place him in a feeding trough because there is nowhere else for him. Seeing shepherds crowding around him later that night, she knew her son would be special, and she knew that a miracle had occurred, one that she would grow to understand more and more as her son grew up.
Mary was just a girl from Nazareth who said yes to God's plan, and she became a part of the greatest story ever told. What great things could we accomplish if we only say yes to God?
Last week we celebrated the birth of our Savior, and people around the world read about the miracle of His conception, the trip to Bethlehem, the shepherds, the angels, and the wise men. There are many characters in this wonderful story of our faith, but I want to focus on one in particular: His mother Mary. Of all of them, she was the first to know about what was about to take place, and the first to have to accept her part in the story.
Most of the images depicting Mary show a lady in her mid-twenties at least, the age many would associate with someone engaged to be married. However, this is likely not the case. In that time, it was common for a girl to become betrothed when she was still in her early teens, often to a man who was much older and had already established a career. Jewish betrothal was as binding as a marriage, with the only difference being that the man had not yet taken the woman into his home.
It was during the midst of this period of waiting to be received into Joseph's home that the angel Gabriel enters her house and greets her with the words quoted in the verse above. I often wonder what she was thinking during that interaction. The angel was telling her that she had not only found favor with God, but was chosen to carry His Son, a task that in today's world would not be that big of a deal, but in that time was a dangerous mission indeed. Women who became pregnant before they were married were to be stoned to death, even if they were betrothed and the child they carried belonged to their fiance. It's no wonder that she went to go see her cousin for a few months. According to what the angel had said, her cousin was also in the midst of a miraculous pregnancy, and would likely be the most understanding of her situation.
About three months later, she returns to her hometown, likely showing the first signs of her pregnancy. Joseph notices, and plans to divorce her in private and send her away before her pregnancy puts her in danger. Then the same angel visits him and tells him to not be afraid to marry her because she is pregnant not from another man, but from the Holy Spirit. He listens and marries her right away before people can talk.
Then about six months later as she's nearing the end of her pregnancy, Joseph finds out that he has to take her down to Bethlehem to be registered, a journey that would prove difficult under normal circumstances, but was likely horribly uncomfortable for her during that time. After that long, tiring, and painful journey, all she wanted was a nice bed to lay down on, but there were none available because every other person from Bethlehem was also there. Then she begins to realize that the baby is coming, and Joseph has to rush to find a place for her to give birth. While the barn they settle in for the night is far from ideal, the soft straw coating the floor makes it better than the hard ground outside. When she gives birth, she has to wrap her newborn in rags and place him in a feeding trough because there is nowhere else for him. Seeing shepherds crowding around him later that night, she knew her son would be special, and she knew that a miracle had occurred, one that she would grow to understand more and more as her son grew up.
Mary was just a girl from Nazareth who said yes to God's plan, and she became a part of the greatest story ever told. What great things could we accomplish if we only say yes to God?
Brandon Heath-"Just a Girl"
Jordan Smith-"Mary, Did You Know?"
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