Verse: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Devotion
A couple Christmases ago, when I was still in college, my roommate spent Christmas with my family. We started the holiday off strong: finishing up Christmas shopping, baking cookies, and watching Netflix. But, you know what they say- the only thing that spreads faster than the Christmas spirit is the stomach bug! By the time Christmas rolled around I had been in the bathroom for what felt like 24 hours, everyone had celebrated without me, and I’m pretty sure my family was looking to replace me with my roommate.
Being a human is gross and unpredictable. That is why I think one of the most powerful aspects of the Christmas story is God making the choice to step into our world, become a human, and subject himself to things like the stomach bug….All so that we could spend eternity with Him. This choice emphasizes two distinct characteristics of God: His power and His humility.
I think this is most evident in verses 31-32: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call 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 his father David.”
God demonstrates in one instance both His power and humility.
We see God bring about salvation fully on His own. He demonstrates His ability to work outside of the laws of nature: Mary conceived because God said it was so. Yet, the embodiment of our salvation would come in the form of a baby, fully dependent on his mother.
The contrast of these two characteristics is empowering to us as children of God. It is a beautiful reminder that the all-powerful God of the universe is on our side. Sometimes the loftiness of God can make Him seem unapproachable and intimidating. This story reminds us that we serve a God who is willing to submit himself to the human experience so we can have an intimate relationship with Him. He loves us so much, He doesn’t leave us in our brokenness. We can rejoice in the news of the Gospel and look towards the future. One day this baby will defeat death. Jesus will be on the throne forever.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Remind me of Your power this week. May I see in small ways the love you have for me. Prepare my heart to celebrate Christmas and the joy of the Gospel.
Author: Maggie McAndrews
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