Advent Day 6
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Luke 1:26-31
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
One of the things I’ve heard many people say over the years is how they would love to hear God speak to them directly. And I get it. But I wonder, would you really? Take Mary’s response to the angel for instance.
I wonder what she thought she was about to hear. Is the angel giving her the Jewish version of the compliment sandwich? “You are highly favored but I know what you stole last summer” or something like that.
It’s a reminder that God’s Word is by nature disruptive. Mary probably had a simple life in mind. Get married to Joseph. Have a few kids. Be a good Jew. God threatens to change all that.
I wonder if you sometimes feel the same. I had a really good friend who was open to God’s existence, even Jesus being who He said He was. But my mate didn’t want his life to change.
Here is the reality. The birth of Jesus is deeply troubling for those who want to live their way. More on this tomorrow.
For Today:
Pray:
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Luke 1:26-31
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
One of the things I’ve heard many people say over the years is how they would love to hear God speak to them directly. And I get it. But I wonder, would you really? Take Mary’s response to the angel for instance.
I wonder what she thought she was about to hear. Is the angel giving her the Jewish version of the compliment sandwich? “You are highly favored but I know what you stole last summer” or something like that.
It’s a reminder that God’s Word is by nature disruptive. Mary probably had a simple life in mind. Get married to Joseph. Have a few kids. Be a good Jew. God threatens to change all that.
I wonder if you sometimes feel the same. I had a really good friend who was open to God’s existence, even Jesus being who He said He was. But my mate didn’t want his life to change.
Here is the reality. The birth of Jesus is deeply troubling for those who want to live their way. More on this tomorrow.
For Today:
- What hopes/dreams have you had for your life?
- What is one thing that troubles you about following Jesus?
- Ask God to help you trust Him - that following Jesus is better.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is our good Father.
- Give thanks for Jesus who came to disrupt us from our sinful trajectory.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others see that life with Jesus is better than going our own way.
Posted in Advent
No Comments