Early Christmas Presence - Day 3
Early Christmas Presence
~Mary~
Early Christmas Presence-- The Presence of Jesus allows Mary to tangibly see the Word and plans of God succeed in circumstances she had been invited into.
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
---
Mary was an engaged virgin with nothing exceptional to offer the world and its Creator except the very capacity He had given her. I’m not just talking about her womb, I’m referring to her heart.
She was unassuming and unlikely— typical criteria for many who have been highly favored by God.
When the Word of God’s plan is spoken to her about her invitation to play a role in the debut of His son— she says, “how can this be since I am a virgin?”
For a moment, as any of us would, she looks at God’s calling with natural eyes and physical circumstances, and her first response is— “HOW CAN IT BE?”
Heaven’s response to her concern?
“THE HOLY SPIRIT will come upon you and THE POWER of the MOST HIGH will overshadow you;
therefore, the child will be born.”
Like Mary, we have both calling and invitation to birth the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of the world around us. God works through the capacity of what He alone has given to us— our role is to recognize that capacity and surrender it back to Him. In constant surrender to His invitation we begin to develop believing hearts. Believing hearts are the humble but fertile soil for fruit that only He can produce but fruit which we are called to bear.
Honestly, I think when Mary said, “Let it be done according to Your word,” something was conceived in Mary’s heart prior to her womb. Her fear was replaced with faith and she moved forward to carry Jesus Christ in a real and tangible way. She willingly surrendered herself to be a vessel for the Lord.
Ladies, “The Holy Spirit” and “The Power of the Most High” will always be the answer to how WE carry Jesus into the world around us. It is not our plans, our performance, or anything of the like—it is simply through becoming a surrendered vessel of God Most High.
When Mary’s initial fear was stilled, her response was appropriate to reflect the condition of her believing heart: “I am your servant; let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:46 says, “Blessed is she who believed that God would fulfill what was spoken to her.”
Multiple times after the birth of Jesus we are told that Mary marveled, pondered or treasured words within her own heart, concerning Jesus; I believe this is because she knew that her own heart could only continue surrender through submission to the Word.
The Presence of Jesus allows Mary to tangibly see the Word and plans of God succeed in circumstances she had been invited into.