Christian Reflection and Prayer

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus" (Luke 1:31).
Read Luke 1:30-33.

 

I love studying the ornaments on our Christmas tree. Each
has a history and a meaning all its own; each triggers a
memory. But when I was a kid I never really cared that
much about the ornaments. For me the best thing was the
tree itself -- all lit up and shining in glory.

 

As Mary looks at the angel shining in all his glory, she is
confused and gripped with fear. Gabriel cancels that fear
by revealing God has chosen her to be the mother of a very
special Son. In simple words he spells out the whole story
of Christmas. She will conceive and give birth to a Son, a
special Son; His Name will be Jesus.

 

Sadly, that is all most people see when they pass by a
manger scene: a baby lying there in the hay. But we need
to pause and step closer, so we can study each detail the
angel reveals about Him, just like the ornaments on a tree.
First, He says this Child will be great: the greatest human
to ever live. Next, he calls Him the Son of the Most High,
the mighty Son of God.

 

Now he reveals this Child is born to be King, but He will
not be like any other earthly king. Other kings and leaders
depend upon the might of their military or the assent of
their people to rule. But Jesus' Kingship rests on His
strength alone. He does not need an army of angels to
keep Him on His throne; nor does He need our consent.
In His greatest hour (and ours), He will go to the cross
alone. There He will defeat sin, death, hell and the devil
for us.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

 Heavenly Father, Your Son is our mighty King. Receive
our thanks for His great salvation and help us spread His
reign of grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30).
Read Luke 1:26-29.

 

Frustration is sitting on the floor with six or seven strings
of Christmas lights all tangled together. After a short
struggle I gave up and handed the whole mess to dad.
And even though I'd left the tangled ball of wire and lights
even more tightly tangled than before, in dad's skilled
Navy hands they were untangled and ready for the tree
in a jiffy.

 

When Mary heard the greeting of the angel Gabriel, she
was frustrated, confused, perplexed and greatly troubled-
like I felt trying to untangle the lights. A debate began
raging back and forth in her mind as she considered what
the greeting meant. Why had the angel come? What
message would he bring?

 

There is so much confusion in life. Just like Mary we try to
pick through the tangled pieces of our lives and see if we
can make sense out of them. Our minds go back and forth
from one point of view to another, from faith to doubt, from
confidence to uncertainty, from comfort to fear.

Thankfully, nothing is a mystery for God. He arranges
everything according to His loving plan. He assures us, "I
know the plans I have for you ... plans for welfare and not
for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (see Jeremiah 29:11).
The most important part of that plan was starting to fall into
place right now. God's own Son is becoming human, so He
can live a perfect life and suffer on the cross in our place to
win eternal life for all of us.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

 Heavenly Father, life can be very confusing. In such times
remind me to cast my cares into Your hands so I may live
in peace and quietness. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
(Luke 1:28b).         Read Luke 1:26-28.

 

One of the most coveted roles among the girls in our
Sunday school Christmas program was the Virgin
Mary. Her big moment was when she gently wrapped
a baby doll in cloths and laid him in the manger. But
another sought-after part was the angel Gabriel. Since
that required memorizing a larger part, it usually was
given to an older student.

 

The angel Gabriel had already brought some great
messages to Daniel and Zechariah, but nothing could
compare with the message God entrusts to him now.
He goes out from the presence of God to a city in the
northern region of Galilee called Nazareth. There he
appears to a virgin who is betrothed to a man named
Joseph. Her name is Mary. Gabriel greets her with
reassuring words, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord
is with you!"

 

But what is so special about Mary? Why has God
chosen her for this singular honor above all other virgins
in Israel? Actually, there is nothing special about Mary.
She is a sinner like you and me, and needs God's grace
and favor just like we all do. The focus is upon God; He
has chosen a simple person like her to be the mother
of His Son.

 

Each of us who celebrate with joy our Savior's birth has
been favored by our God the same way as Mary. Like her,
we deserved nothing but God's wrath, but instead He
showers His grace and forgiveness on us through the
Christmas Child. And just as Mary was favored to bring
the Christ Child into the world, we are favored to bring
Christ Jesus to the nations.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

Heavenly Father, You showed us Your favor by calling us
by name and making us Your own children through faith in
Jesus Christ. Bless us now to share that favor with others
as we share Jesus' story. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)