“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’”
Luke 1:28
The angel Gabriel was not sent to make his announcement to a princess or to a member of elite Jewish society. He went to Mary, a poor, illiterate, unknown Jewish girl from Nazareth. She wasn’t looking for prominence. She was just living out an ordinary life in a backwoods town.
Yet it’s Mary who not only receives the first announcement of the Christ child, but who also is chosen by God to bear the Son of God. This tells us something about her, about her simple faith, and about her willingness to obey. More wondrously, it tells us about Mary’s God.
We often think God works through extreme giftedness, wealth, and glamor. The Christmas story reminds us that God works in and among those who society typically leaves behind, that the thread of redemption woven throughout Scripture winds its way through small towns and seemingly insignificant lives. God is Immanuel, God with us. That does not discount anyone—rich or poor. But it is an enormous comfort to many of us to know that He visits the ordinary of station and lowly of heart.
Yet it’s Mary who not only receives the first announcement of the Christ child, but who also is chosen by God to bear the Son of God. This tells us something about her, about her simple faith, and about her willingness to obey. More wondrously, it tells us about Mary’s God.
We often think God works through extreme giftedness, wealth, and glamor. The Christmas story reminds us that God works in and among those who society typically leaves behind, that the thread of redemption woven throughout Scripture winds its way through small towns and seemingly insignificant lives. God is Immanuel, God with us. That does not discount anyone—rich or poor. But it is an enormous comfort to many of us to know that He visits the ordinary of station and lowly of heart.
Scripture Focus
Luke 1:26-33
Insight
“Come to earth to taste our sadness,/ He whose glories knew no end.” (Mark E. Hunt, 1978)
Bible In A Year
- Hosea 1-3
- Proverbs 11
- James 1-3
