Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Luke 1:34-37. TEXT: And Mary said to the angel,
"How will this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34).

Advent    When Zechariah received the amazing message
from the angel, he doubted. At first glance, Mary's
response seems to show the same unbelief. But look
closer. She says "How will this be?" In other words,
"How is this going to take place?" She doesn't doubt God
is able to do whatever He wants; she is simply asking
how she will conceive. After all, she is an unmarried virgin.

There can be a fine line between outright unbelief and
honest questions prompted by faith. Zechariah didn't
believe God could do it. Mary trusted He could, but she
simply wanted to know if she should do anything,
perhaps go ahead and marry Joseph early.

We run into similar situations in our lives. There are times
when our resources of time, money, talent or strength
seem far too meager to accomplish the things God has
set before us. Doubt and unbelief make us think God will
fail to accomplish those things in and through us. Faith,
however, believes, and eagerly watches to see how God
will make it all work out.

The angel explains that the Holy Spirit will come and
miraculously work the conception inside her--without a
human father.

That is why the Child will be holy, and called the Son of
God. Then, to give her further reassurance, the angel points
to her relative Elizabeth, who is now in the sixth month of
her impossible pregnancy. He asserts, "For nothing will be
impossible with God."

That's true for you and me as well. Nothing God wants to
do for us will prove too difficult. Nothing is beyond God's
ability to act, to save, to deliver us.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for all Your promises,
especially that in Jesus Christ, Your Son, You have saved
us from all our sins. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

( Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Luke 1:31-33. TEXT: "And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His Name
Jesus" (Luke 1:31).

Advent devos 2015In a few short brushstrokes, the angel
tells Mary what God is about to do. She will conceive and
bear a Son. She is to name Him Jesus. This is a very
common name in Mary's time. It means "The Lord saves.
" Whenever you met someone named Jesus, their name
was pointing you to the Lord who saves.

But for this Child the Name will mean so much more. The
angel adds, "He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High." Since the Son of God Himself is becoming
human for us, His Name Jesus is different from all the others.
It points out that this is the Lord Himself; He has come to
save us. This is literally the Lord who saves.

That's staggering by itself. But the angel isn't quite finished.
God will give her Son the throne of His father David. David
was Israel's greatest king in the Old Testament. He won
many great victories for Israel over its enemies and, in so
doing, established a strong and peaceful kingdom, secure
from all its enemies.

God told David He would build him a house, raising up for
him a descendant who would reign over an eternal kingdom
forever. And now that famous promise is being kept.

Whereas earthly kings come and go, this King will not.
Though He dies on the cross, within three days He will rise
again and reign over His Kingdom forever. This Christmas
He calls you and me to be subjects of that never-ending
Kingdom--free and safe from all our enemies--Satan, sin,
 fear, death and the gates of hell.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for fulfilling
Your promise to King David through his descendant Jesus
Christ. I praise You that He rules in mercy, faithfulness and
righteousness. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Luke 1:28-30. TEXT: And he (the angel) came to her
and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
But she (Mary) was greatly troubled at the saying, and
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be"
(Luke 1:28-29).

Advent     Like Zechariah before, Mary is greatly troubled
at this angel's unexpected appearance. She struggles to
understand what kind of message he has come to bring:
will it be good news or bad?

Immediately, the angel assures Mary that she is favored,
and the Lord is with her. In fact, very shortly, the Lord will
be with her in a unique and special way. The Son of God
Himself will become human and dwell within her womb.

But God's favor is not just for Mary, it is for you and me
this Christmas as well. Jesus promised, "If anyone loves
Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him"
(John 14:23b).

But who is worthy of such a favor? Have we done enough,
lived a good enough life to be favored by God? The
answer is no, just as it was for Mary. But notice, the
angel doesn't say, "You have earned favor with God," he
says, "You have found favor with God." Just as God has
shown undeserved kindness and favor to Mary, He shows
it to you and me.

That's what Christmas is all about--God looking on us,
and deciding to send His Son to make everything right
between Him and us. There is absolutely nothing we need
to do--nothing we can do. In His life, death and
resurrection, Jesus has done everything necessary to
remove God's displeasure and win His eternal favor.

THE PRAYER:

Holy Father, it is humbling to think that Your favor rests
upon us in Your Son Jesus. He makes us bold to call upon
You. Help us share His marvelous news with others. In
Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)