Thursday, December 31, 2009
Luke 1:28-31 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS."
THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS IS POWERFUL GOOD NEWS
The Angel explained to Mary why He had come to her with such a magnificent greeting. It was not because of who she was--she herself was worthy of no such honor. It was because God had chosen her and because of what He would make her to be--the woman who would carry the Son of God to full term and give birth to Savior of the World.
In the same way it is what God has done for us that makes us His children. We ourselves are worthy of no such honor or distinction. We are a handful of sinful human beings in the midst of a vast universe. It is God's mercy and love in Christ that gives us the title we rejoice to have been given: Christian.
In a moment, Mary's simple life was changed by the plans of the Almighty. Yet she did not complain that God had changed her plans. She humbly accepted His will as the right way, even as she humbly accepted the word brought to her by the Angel. "I am your Servant, Lord. Let it be as you have said."
Oh that God would work in us a humble and willing heart that simply takes Him at His Word! Oh that He would help us to humbly accept His will as always best, no matter the outward circumstance!
The Lord Himself has to give us such a heart and attitude, one that is God-centered, because the one we have is proud and self-centered. This God does by the Spirit working through the Gospel word. The good news of Christmas is all about God's Gift of His Son who came to redeem us. It is all about HIM, about Christ, our Lord and Savior. It's about what He gave and still gives. It's about God's incredible love and the lengths that He went to make outsiders and enemies full members of His family.
