THE STRANGER AT THE
MANGER
Luke 1:26-38
26In the sixth month,
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a
virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The
virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said,
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29Mary
was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might
be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you
have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth
to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He
will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will
never end." 34"How will this be," Mary asked
the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35The angel
answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be
called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is
going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in
her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God." 38"I
am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
I The Insignificance – vs. 26, 27
Her life had been quiet and uneventful. She was barely more than a girl. Historians believe Mary was perhaps 14 years old. She was a peasant girl, living in a tiny insignificant village. Her knowledge of the Scriptures was limited to what she had heard in the synagogue and committed to memory.
II The Intrusion – vs. 28, 29
Gabriel spoke to Mary with:
A. Words that foster HOPE - vs. 30
B. Words that reveal TRUTH - vs. 31-33
The question Mary asked in vs.
34: Mary understood that the angel was
speaking of an immediate conception, and she and Joseph were still in the midst
of the long betrothal or engagement period, ( Matthew
C. Words that inspire CONFIDENCE - vs. 35,36
D. Words that deepen FAITH - vs. 37
IV The Integrity of Mary – vs. 38
Mary was in an extremely
embarrassing and difficult position. She
knew she would be accused of adultery – an offense punishable by stoning ( Deuteronomy
* GENTLENESS - Meekness
* WILLING SUBMISSION
* TRUST
V The implication for Us
Why was Mary “highly favored” – vs. 28? Not because of anything she had accomplished, but because of God’s grace. How did Mary respond to this grace?
She RECEIVED it
She BELIEVED God.
She didn’t have all the answers, but she believed God. She didn’t know how it would all work out, but she believed God.
We must do the same as Mary. God sent His son Jesus for us to receive – John 3:16. So this season, as we are preparing our gift giving and our charitable projects, let’s focus initially not on what we are able to give, whether great or small, but on what we have received from God. Let the grace and mercy we have experienced at His hands first fill our hearts, and then flow through us to others. In so doing, we will be able to speak words that foster hope, that reveal truth, that inspire confidence and that deepen faith.
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