God’s story in god’s people

Today, the birth of a baby is often announced on social media, accompanied by carefully chosen photos of a joyful mother cradling her newborn in a comfortable setting. In contrast, an image  of Jesus’ birth would likely stir empathy for a child brought into the world under such stark circumstances. Mary gave birth in a dark, dirty place and laid her infant son in a used feeding trough—hardly the kind of scene that would attract “likes.” But in that humble moment, “God stepped into the warm lake of humanity. Without protocol and without pretension.”

Our passage today is a familiar Christmas reading: the account of Jesus’ birth recorded in Luke 2:1–7. I have preached through these verses on Christmas Eve many times. In the course of Luke’s thorough research, he no doubt spoke with Mary. It is fascinating to consider that she may have been the one who recounted this deeply personal story.

When John the Baptist was born, Zechariah was finally able to speak again. His silence had resulted from doubting Gabriel’s message from the Lord, but now his voice had returned, and he burst forth in praise to God.

In Genesis 3, after sin entered the world, God promised to send one born of a woman to crush Satan (Gen. 3:15). He then chose a nation through which this Deliverer would come. God made a covenant with Abraham, the founder of that nation, promising that all the families of the earth would be blessed through the one who would come from Abraham’s line (Gen. 12:1–3). He later reaffirmed this covenant to Abraham’s son, Isaac (Gen. 26:2–5) and to Isaac’s son, Jacob (Gen. 28:10–15; 35:9–12).

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV) In today’s passage, we will reflect on a song of praise that flows from Mary’s heart— a song of thanksgiving and recognition of who God is. Let’s begin by setting the context.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” That is what Gabriel told Mary when she asked how she could have a baby even though she had never been intimate with a man. Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would “overshadow” her and bring about the conception, because “nothing will be impossible with God.”

Some have said that Mary was the first person to accept Jesus on his own terms, regardless of the personal cost. Today, we’re going to look at how God’s story unfolded through the life of this young woman from Nazareth.

I am always amazed at how God prepares us for the next step in our journey. He uses today’s  challenges and experiences to mold us into the person he needs us to be tomorrow. We can be confident that God never wastes our time.

When Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, completed his book in 400 BC, God did not send another prophet for the next 400 years. These centuries are often called “the silent years.” Yet even during that time God was at work. He shifted world power from Persia to Greece and then to Rome. By the time Jesus came, the world was experiencing the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome), shared a common Greek language, and was connected by Roman roads throughout the empire. So, when “the fullness of time had come” God sent Jesus, “born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4–5).