Mini series - The Cast of Christmas - Day 1 Mary

I'm so glad you stopped by!

Today is the first day of my mini series, "The Cast of Christmas". I figured since we're only 5 days away from Christmas, I would spend this week getting to know the people (cast) involved in the Christmas story. God picked each and every person for a reason to be a part of this spectacular event. I believe we can learn something from each person. So get a cup of hot chocolate, sit back and join me on this mini series of getting to know the cast of Christmas.

 

 

Imagine with me for a moment...you're a young teenage girl, probably 14 or 15, maybe younger (guys, try and pretend you're a girl, I know it may be hard ;). You're going through puberty. Zits on your face and roller coaster emotions. You live a pretty ordinary, hard working life of cleaning, cooking, working around the house, drawing water and more. Then one day, you are visited by someone you've never seen before. Someone very unique. An angel.

 

The angel tells her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). You don't really understand who this person is and why the extravagant salutation (Luke 1:29 paraphrase).

 I mean it wasn't an ordinary happening for an angel to visit you.

 The angel continued to say, "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 name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:30-33).

 

Woa. Talk about a tad bit overwhelming. Plus, there's a problem. You're a virgin. There has to be some mistake. So you speak up..."How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34).

Good question.

The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible for God" (Luke 1:35-37).

 

You think, "Hmm good answer, I can't argue with that" and reply with a firm, "Behold the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word" and the angel left (Luke 1:38).

 

Okay, imagination time is over now. I would think that must have been overwhelming for young Mary, but then again, maybe not. She wasn't married. She found out she would be pregnant with the Son of God. That had to be a little bit frightening, at least I would be.

 

Even though it may have been scary for her and she was afraid of what her parents might think, as well as her community, she confidently obeyed (verse 38). She didn't say, "Can I think about it and get back to you?" or "No, I don't want to carry the Son of God, that's a lot of pressure!" She said, "May it be done to me according to your word." Wow. Props to Mary. Not only that, she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord (Luke 1:45), she praised God (Luke 1:46-47), and she recognized the magnitude of what was coming through the child she was carrying (Luke 1:48-55).

 

So what can we learn from Mary?

I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking that in the beginning she didn't completely understand how everything was going to work out. Also, despite the pressure she may have felt from the responsibility of bearing the Son of God, she still said yes. She trusted in God's promises and thanked Him for what He's done and what He will do. How does this translate to us? Well, when God tells us to do something, we should reply just like Mary did, even though we may be overwhelmed or have questions. We should trust that if He starts something, He will bring it to completion, even if we are just an ordinary, teenage girl. He takes ordinary people and uses them for the extraordinary.

Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

 

Check out this song from Mary's perspective.

"Be Born in Me (Mary)" by Francesca Battistelli

 

 

 

If you're following along with the year long Bible reading plan, today's scripture is Ephesians 4-6.

 

Stop by tomorrow and learn more about the next cast member of the Christmas story!

Surrounded by Joy

This past weekend I was surrounded by joy. I was honored to be a part of a wonderful celebration of two lives coming together as one by being a bridesmaid. One of my best friends, Joanna, married the love of her life, Spencer, on Saturday. It was such a beautiful weekend full of laughter, excitement, love and joy. It was clear at the dress rehearsal dinner that God was bringing two people together who are very loved. Words of memories and kindness along with tears of joy affirmed that the next day was going to be an emotional day of celebration and praise to God for bringing these two very special people together. The day of the wedding arrived and seeing Joanna with complete joy was contagious. Although I was not around Spencer much before the wedding, I knew that he couldn't wait to marry his girl. I'm a pretty emotional person when it comes to weddings, but I had no clue how emotional I was going to be during the ceremony. While I was walking down the aisle towards the front of the church, Spencer was beaming. He couldn't wait to see Joanna and be married to her at last. After I found my spot at the front of the church, I looked at the faces of the bridal party and the groom and I found happiness. Tears began to well up in my eyes and I was thankful for the thoughtful, groom's mother that had given us tissues and the pockets in my dress. The time had come for Joanna to walk down the aisle to this beautiful song called, "Hundred More Years" by Francessca Battistelli. Because of my height I couldn't see her walk in so the next best thing was to look at was Spencer's face and let me tell you, what a wonderful thing to see. As a tear rolled down his cheek, he was mesmerized by his bride like time had stood still. Joy had consumed him. That's when I almost lost it. It was such a beautiful moment. When Joanna met Spencer at the front, the love they share together became evident. As the vows were spoken, not only was the bridal party crying, but many guests were crying as well. They weren't crying tears of sadness, but tears of joy. I was surrounded by joy. I will never forget the love and joy that I felt that day. Their wedding reminded me of the joy that God wants us to feel. He doesn't want us to wait for joy, but to find joy now. We may not feel like the time is appropriate to be joyful, but God wants us to find joy in everything. We shouldn't wait for the big things in life to be joyful, but we should also find joy in the little things. I believe joy truly comes from being confident in the promises that God gives us. When we surround ourselves with those promises, we find joy. Psalm 90:14 says, "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Before Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he said "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them" (John 17:13). Acts 2:28 says, "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Sometimes it may be hard to find joy in the present. It may take some time away from your hectic life to find it, but it's there. You may be looking in the wrong places. 1 Chronicles 16:27 says, "Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place." So today take the time to find joy and live in it. Don't wait for it to come to you. Find it. Have a blessed week! :)