Christian Reflection and Prayer

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since
I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34)
Read Luke 1:34-35.

 

Mom and dad made most of the Christmas cookies
in our house. Sure, they let us use cookie cutters
and sprinkles, but for some reason that's all. I always
thought five little boys would have been a really big
help measuring out ingredients and mixing them
together. Did it really hurt if you put in two cups of
salt instead of two cups of sugar? (I couldn't
understand why mom threw out that whole batch of
dough and sent us out to the living room.)

 

When it came to Jesus' conception, the angel told
Mary the Holy Spirit would do all the work. He will
come upon her and use His miraculous power to
bring about Jesus' conception.

 

Just as a cookie recipe requires the correct amount
of sugar and salt, God's recipe for our salvation
required His Son to be conceived and born of a virgin.
Every human born of a human father and mother
inherits the stain of sin our human race has carried
since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the
Garden of Eden. Had Jesus been conceived of
Joseph and Mary He would have been contaminated
with our same sinful nature and could never have
been our Savior.

 

To save us, God's Son had to share our human
nature and flesh, without sharing our sin and guilt.
Being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born free of
our guilt, Jesus was able to be our perfect Substitute, l
iving the perfect life you and I cannot live. He
completed our salvation by suffering and dying in our
place on the cross.

 

THE PRAYER:

Almighty God, thank You for Your perfect plan to save
us through Your spotless Son Jesus Christ. Give us
faith to always trust Him as our one and only Savior.
In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)