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!

Why me?! Part Two

So in my last blog, I talked about how when bad things happen we (or I) tend to wonder "why me?!". Also, I talked about how life isn't supposed to be easy...it really isn't. So what do we do when we face a road block? Well we have 2 choices...let it stop us from living and grow angry OR we can overcome it and find joy. During my Lyme journey and other times in my life, I have faced a road block and had to choose. There have been times when I have chosen the first one and others when I've chosen the latter. In the beginning of my Lyme journey I chose the first, but now I am choosing the second. Enough about me, because I've said from the beginning I don't want this blog to be totally about me! I believe that God turns the bad into good. My Lyme disease is a bad thing, but I have already seen how God is working through it. I need to embrace it. I need to use it. Think of the tough times that you have faced. Which decision did you make? Whether you believe in God or not, don't let tough times defeat you! Pick yourself up and keep truckin! 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." God wants us to use whatever situation we face to show His love, grace, and mercy to others! So I look at it this way...we shouldn't stay in a cocoon, but we should be a butterfly! I definitely think God is teaching me a lot through this journey and I can't wait to see what he does with it! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" So think about about how you can make your trials into triumphs! Be blessed today :)