Text: Luke 1:26-38
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34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 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.
Last week we talked about God’s redeemed people as oaks of righteousness and that the Lord’s favor rests with his redeemed.
The mighty oaks trees that needed to be removed around the church building had posed a problem and possible long term damage for the church.
What to do? Well after much prayer and deliberation, solutions were considered, decisions were made, Paul’s Tree service was contracted and in short order with the Lord’s blessing the trees came down.
The Lord didn’t take the trees down by divine decree. He worked through means; called and elected servants, meetings, funding, business, tools, machinery, skill, and time.
But understand it was of the Lord’s doing none the less.
Nothing is impossible for God!
In our gospel we read of a young woman named Mary. 27 … a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
Certainly she was old enough to be betrothed to be married and the text does not give an age for Mary, but many conclude that she was young, probable in her mid teens, possible around 15. This may seem young to us but in that day was not out of the ordinary.
Mary at her age may have been more typical that not, just another young woman waiting to be married. What was unusual is the visit of God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel – in the sixth month of her cousin, Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
If Mary at 15 was not too young to conceive and bear a child than her cousin Elizabeth was probably not too old, but I’m sure was probably much younger than we might associate with the phrase old age.
The improbable and the impossible!
Both Mary and Elizabeth had the Lord’s favor but in different ways. For Elizabeth the Angel Gabriel visited her husband Zachariah as he served in the temple with the good news that their prayers had been heard. With the angel’s visit it was now been answered, that through the usual course of events or as we might say – the birds and bees – Zachariah and Elizabeth would have a son and call his name John.
Good news indeed for those who desire a child. But even better new from the mouth of Gabriel would come.
15 … and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
John would be a normal child for his mom and dad but with a special calling and anointing from God.
Conceived in the normal way, born in the normal way, though blessed with the Holy Spirit even in the womb of his mother, John was destined to be used by God for great things according to the Lord’s word.
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 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.
Last week we talked about God’s redeemed people as oaks of righteousness and that the Lord’s favor rests with his redeemed.
The mighty oaks trees that needed to be removed around the church building had posed a problem and possible long term damage for the church.
What to do? Well after much prayer and deliberation, solutions were considered, decisions were made, Paul’s Tree service was contracted and in short order with the Lord’s blessing the trees came down.
The Lord didn’t take the trees down by divine decree. He worked through means; called and elected servants, meetings, funding, business, tools, machinery, skill, and time.
But understand it was of the Lord’s doing none the less.
Nothing is impossible for God!
In our gospel we read of a young woman named Mary. 27 … a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
Certainly she was old enough to be betrothed to be married and the text does not give an age for Mary, but many conclude that she was young, probable in her mid teens, possible around 15. This may seem young to us but in that day was not out of the ordinary.
Mary at her age may have been more typical that not, just another young woman waiting to be married. What was unusual is the visit of God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel – in the sixth month of her cousin, Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
If Mary at 15 was not too young to conceive and bear a child than her cousin Elizabeth was probably not too old, but I’m sure was probably much younger than we might associate with the phrase old age.
The improbable and the impossible!
Both Mary and Elizabeth had the Lord’s favor but in different ways. For Elizabeth the Angel Gabriel visited her husband Zachariah as he served in the temple with the good news that their prayers had been heard. With the angel’s visit it was now been answered, that through the usual course of events or as we might say – the birds and bees – Zachariah and Elizabeth would have a son and call his name John.
Good news indeed for those who desire a child. But even better new from the mouth of Gabriel would come.
15 … and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
John would be a normal child for his mom and dad but with a special calling and anointing from God.
Conceived in the normal way, born in the normal way, though blessed with the Holy Spirit even in the womb of his mother, John was destined to be used by God for great things according to the Lord’s word.
For Mary, the angel does not come with answered prayers but with an announcement!
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Mary received the Lord’s favor through the spoken word of God.
Though she was troubled by his visit as was Zachariah the word of god brought peace:
30 … “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Certainly these were difficult words to hear for a seasoned mature woman let alone one of Mary’s age who was young and a virgin but old enough to understand the role of a man in conceiving a child.
Mary does not ask who, what, when, or where but asks simply how?
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Nothing is impossible for God!
Not in the normal course of events the angel reveals the impossible working of God.
“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. 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The barren Elizabeth is now expecting a child!
That which seemed improbable is a reality. The prayed for child is in the womb and the parents wait for his expected birth by the word of the Lord.
Mary’s simple humble reply:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
We see God’s work through the improbable birth of a son in John the Baptist destined to heralded God’s coming redemption.
We also see God’s work through the impossible birth of his Son Jesus, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit though without sin, and born for the redemption of fallen mankind.
This is God’s work!
This is Good News!
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Mary received the Lord’s favor through the spoken word of God.
Though she was troubled by his visit as was Zachariah the word of god brought peace:
30 … “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Certainly these were difficult words to hear for a seasoned mature woman let alone one of Mary’s age who was young and a virgin but old enough to understand the role of a man in conceiving a child.
Mary does not ask who, what, when, or where but asks simply how?
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Nothing is impossible for God!
Not in the normal course of events the angel reveals the impossible working of God.
“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. 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The barren Elizabeth is now expecting a child!
That which seemed improbable is a reality. The prayed for child is in the womb and the parents wait for his expected birth by the word of the Lord.
Mary’s simple humble reply:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
We see God’s work through the improbable birth of a son in John the Baptist destined to heralded God’s coming redemption.
We also see God’s work through the impossible birth of his Son Jesus, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit though without sin, and born for the redemption of fallen mankind.
This is God’s work!
This is Good News!
Just as the Ark carried Noah and his family - 8 persons in all - through the death of sin punished in the flood to the new life that emerged in God’s creation on the Mountains of Ararat, so too this humble young woman Mary, carried by God’s word and Spirit, the God man himself Jesus Christ in the Ark of her womb until his birth in Bethlehem.
It recalls the Ark of God’s dwelling with the children of Israel and their escape from Egypt, through the wilderness of 40 years, to the fulfilling entrance through the Jordan River into God’s blessed Promised Land!
Nothing is impossible for God!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
It recalls the Ark of God’s dwelling with the children of Israel and their escape from Egypt, through the wilderness of 40 years, to the fulfilling entrance through the Jordan River into God’s blessed Promised Land!
Nothing is impossible for God!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
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