Good
Morning Friends,
“In
the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to
a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who
are highly favored! The Lord is with
you.' Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting
this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have
found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus.'" (Luke 1:26-31)
The
assignment from the Lord that the angel brought to Mary brought a great deal of
trouble for her. She was a single young woman, engaged to Joseph, and she
became pregnant. Her pregnancy almost cost her the relationship she had with Joseph.
He knew the baby could not be his. The pregnancy cost her a great deal of
humiliation and ridicule. The people of Nazareth would have been talking about
Mary, and Joseph. They would have been sure that they knew the real explanation
for her pregnancy.
Before
the pregnancy, Mary had a fine reputation among the people. She was a righteous
woman. She would not have been chosen by God for this assignment if she had not
been. The people would have been aware of her devotion to the Lord. That
reputation was gone when her pregnancy became apparent. No one would consider
her righteous anymore.
Down
the road there will be more pain that Mary will have to bear because of this
assignment from God. She'll watch as her Son is rejected by many people. She'll
watch as they arrest Him, try Him, and put Him to death on the cross. When she
brings the baby Jesus to the temple Simeon will tell her what was ahead for her,
"A sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:35)
It
cost Mary a great deal to serve the Lord. Yet, it was a privilege to be given
this assignment. Gabriel told her, "You are highly favored!" It is a privilege
to serve the Lord, no matter what it costs.
His,
by Grace, Steve
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