Mary
Luke 1:26-28 "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you'."
Troubled at this saying!
How else to feel?
Fear had engulfed her
When Gabriel appeared.
God's messenger could only mean
that God Himself had seen
that she had not kept His holy law though she'd tried, and tried, and tried...
He could see inside!
Now he had come,
God's messenger, to bring just wrath upon her.
His hand raised to strike her head bowed low,
Instead gently waved with greetings to show that he had come with favor,
and to save her...
Her fear turned to perplexity,
He said: "Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you",
Words she'd ponder in her heart for eternity,
How can this be?
She'd heard of Adam, rebel son,
hiding in fear with his wife,
awaiting the promised blow that would take the life
from one who would turn from
God's law and believe Satan's lies.
He must have felt
as Mary did now....
The angel of God, hand raised high above the bowed head of guilt
spoke instead words of promise that would bring life, not death
through a coming Son.
But the just blow still struck with holy wrath.
Blood still flowed.
An innocent lamb now lay wounded and bleeding as God showed
His righteous law kept by Himself as he clothed
Adam and Eve with work of His own,
discarding their rags and covering them with
His righteous provision
of the blood and robe of the one
who represented the now promised Son.
To Mary, such mercy was a mystery.
Since Adam, this amazing history
of a chosen race,
a people of God
under sentence of death
expecting God's angel to bring the sword held high
upon the head bowed low,
receive instead God's favor
and a promised Son to deliver.
From Adam, to Abel, to Enoch, to Noah,
to Abraham, to Sarah, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Joseph,
to Moses, to Joshua, to Rahab,
to Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel...
God had given His favor and faith in His promise
to deliver by one,
the promised Son.
Mary, like the rest
had done her best
but as sons and daughters of Adam,
they'd all failed the test.
Now, the angel was here,
the promise still good,
No need to fear.
The Spirit of God would come,
and she would bear a Son.
What had she done?
To be part of this plan of God to save a people
for His name and by His own hand?
She was yet unmarried,
Did God not need her to participate in His plan to save?
What if she gave...
just her willingness,
wouldn't that be all that God needed
so that she
could see...
God's plan work, wasn't she free?
Foolish Mary! nothing to be done...
for she was a virgin
The Holy Spirit would come.
Just like her father Abram, she for a moment
thought to help
God keep His word and save a people for Himself.
But God's angel prevailed proclaiming the gospel,
God's will, not man's,
God's work, not Mary's
A virgin shall conceive,
what must she believe?
That God has done it,
God has sent the promised Son
Not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God...
Just as promised in the garden so long ago,
Mary's son came into this world of woe...
A mystery so great that even wise men like Nicodemus
thought that God's kingdom would come to us
in ways we can see, touch, and feel,
That God's Messiah would heal
in ways that we can affect by our will.
But this promised Son now here
taught him gently just like the angel to Mary
that those in God's kingdom were not born
by active participation
of sinful man for the good of the nation,
but by the willing Spirit of God
who comes upon His chosen
to fill up His kingdom
with only those in...
robes of righteousness given by God Himself
who shed the blood of His own Son
and raised Him from the dead to live in...
a world to come,
a kingdom with no end
with God as the light
and the Son as the Savior
who has scattered the night.
Now in this season
what is the reason
for your hope?
Soon, the angel of death
over you will raise his hand to judge
and only some will save.
Do you fear this day?
What will you say?
One born of the Spirit will join with Mary and pray:
"My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And his mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever." Luke 1:46-55