December 15, 2015
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:30-33
30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He 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, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Questions for Reflection:
The angel greets Mary and she’s troubled. In defusing her concern, he tells her to not be afraid. Why should she not be afraid? Why was Mary highly favored? What was it about Mary that made her favored by God? The answer is pretty simple. Mary was favored with God because God was choosing to work through her. It was not on the basis of her spirituality, her performance or any actions on her part. God choosing this teenage girl to act through her was an act of grace as well. If and when God chooses to work through you (and it probably won’t look like a virgin birth in your case), His choosing you is an act of grace. We don’t deserve God to use us for His purposes; yet He chooses to do so.
What is Mary told to name the baby, her son? This is the first recorded use of the name of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The name of Jesus means “Savior.” From birth, even his name reflected his mission. Jesus came to earth to save those in need of saving. From what do you need saving?
The angel then speaks prophetically into the life of this baby. What does he say that Jesus would do? Can you imagine how shocking that would be to Mary? Matt Chandler creates a wonderful image of how outrageous these words are: “You’ve got a young woman who is not royalty in Roman occupied Israel to whom the angel has shown up and said, ‘Despite the fact that you’re not married, despite the fact that you’ve never been with a man, despite the fact that in your knowledge you’re not of any type of royal lineage, you’re going to have a baby growing in your womb whose kingdom will never ever, ever, ever, ever end.’”
It seems appropriate when thinking about these verses to spend time in prayer. Spend time thanking God for the ways that He includes you in His plans. Thank him for the opportunities you have to serve Him and His church. Spend time thanking Him for saving you from all the many areas you needed saving. Spend time worshipping Him because He is King Jesus.