Mary's Part

It’s hard to imagine the nativity scene without one of its most important people, Mary the mother of Jesus. It was through this amazing teenage girl that God’s Son would enter the broken world He would one day rescue with His death on the cross. But God’s plan was definitely not Mary’s plan. In fact, she probably pictured her life looking a lot different the day Gabriel told her the news that she was going to have a baby. Her plan was to marry her fiancé Joseph and start a family with him. Besides, how could she have a baby since she was still a virgin? It didn’t seem possible for her to have a baby, but Gabriel explained to her that God could make the impossible possible, that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, and the baby she carried would be God’s Son! Mary considered her own plans against the plans that God had for her life. She told the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” How incredible is that? Mary was willing to put aside her plans and her desires to follow God’s call for her life. Even though it might lead to shame at being an unwed mother and even though Joseph might not believe her, she trusted that God’s plans were better than the plans she had for herself. In our own lives, we must remember this as well. We have plans and ideas for our lives, but we must never forget that God is capable of more than we can ever imagine. Reflection Questions: 1)How do you think Mary felt when the angel appeared to her? 2)What plans might God have for you that don’t align with your plans? Follow through: Pray that God will give you the faith of Mary to trust that God is capable of more than you can even imagine. Verses: *“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” -Isaiah 7:14 *“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail. ” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” -Luke 1:26-38