“Mary asked the
angel, ‘But how can this happen? I am a
virgin.’ The angel replied, ‘The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he
will be called the Son of God.” Luke
1:34-35 (NLT)
Today we lit the third candle in the advent wreath…the
candle of Joy.
As I read through these two scripture verses I wonder
what Mary thought. How many conflicted
emotions raced through her mind? Did she
have cause to be joyful?
Earlier in verse 31 the angel tells her she’s going to
conceive and give birth to a son. Mary’s
not stupid. Now she asks “But how can
this happen? I am a virgin.”
In her world a pregnancy outside of marriage is a death
sentence. And the sentence is carried
out by stoning. Why would she rejoice
over this news?
But the angel continues his message and tells Mary, “So the
baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Wow! Two conflicting
events…imminent death…and the birth of the promised Messiah. How do you process that information? How do you respond?
I suspect Mary felt a mixture of fear, anger, doubt,
resentment, excitement, hope, and yes, even joy. So often we hold joy in tension with other
emotions in our lives.
Where are you today?
What conflicting emotions live in your heart? Are there things you have cause to rejoice
over even if life isn’t perfect?
- Your home
- Your family
- Your job
- Food on your table
- Time with friends
- A safe place to worship
- Your car
- An education
- A warm bed to sleep in
- Money to pay your bills
Your family may not be perfect. You may not have the job of your dreams. But if you dig deeply enough you’ll probably
still find some reason to be joyful in this Advent season.
I pray for a little piece of joy to permeate each reader’s
life this week. May you receive it,
recognize it, and rejoice in it.
God bless.
“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found
favor with God. And behold, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High. And the Lord God will
give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. Mary asked the angel, ‘But how can this
happen? I am a virgin.’ The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he
will be called the Son of God.” Luke
1:30-35
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