FEAR NOT MARY

Another year has passed us by, and once again we find ourselves one week before Christmas.  Let the games, the fun and the stress begin.  My suggestion to each of you is this:  Look at your budget closely and however much you plan to spend on gifts, cut it in half.  Gifts always look good on Christmas day, but some of the glow seems to disappear when the bills start rolling in.  Well, am I right or wrong on this?   Let me welcome everyone to your 24/7, weeklong, online church service.  Everyone is welcome in this place.

Thank you for taking the time to read or listen to this message.  I trust you will be blessed by the Word of God that we preach to you this week.  My second suggestion is this:  Put all the trappings of Christmas aside and put the birth of Jesus front and center.   Please parents, read the Bible account of the birth of the son of God to your children.  Notice I did not say ‘read the story.’  The reason for that is the Bible account of Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus is not just  a story.  In fact, the Bible puts forth a historical and factual report of the Savior of the world coming to this earth; the ultimate expression of God’s everlasting love for us.

An interesting experiment would be this.  Start today and actually take note of the percentage of time you put toward gifts, Santa Claus, parties and decorations.  Now, compare that with the amount of time and consideration you actually give to the birth of Jesus Christ.  You know, folks, even people who complain about Jesus being left out of Christmas might be surprised about what the percentages say about them.  This is not a rebuke, church, this is said to point out the obvious.  What you do with this message is up to you.

Let’s take a look at the Word of God and really read or listen to what the scripture has to say.  This is important information for us all.  Turn with me to Luke 1:26-28 and let’s read it together.

    “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.   And the angel came in unto her, and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee:  Blessed art thou among women.”

So there is the beginning.  A number of things can be brought out here.  The first thing to note is that there really were angels back then, and if you really study the Bible you will see angels are still here to minister to us today.  The second thing to notice is that Mary really was a virgin.  There should be no dispute about this.  The birth of Jesus truly was a supernatural and a true miracle of God.  The Bible identifies this young virgin as Mary.  A young virgin woman who was engaged to Joseph.  You can begin to see where this could be a point of dissension between Mary and Joseph, but hold on, I am now getting ahead of myself.

The angel Gabriel goes on to say “Hail”, which by the way is a form of greeting.  “Mary, you are highly favored, the Lord is with thee.”  Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it?  Do you really believe God would choose someone out of favor with him to become the mother of his only begotten son?  Of course not.  Gabriel says, “Blessed art thou among women.”  Listen folks, sometimes Catholics exaggerate this proclamation by Gabriel while at the same time Protestants often times try to diminish the importance of what the angel Gabriel was telling Mary and us.

Now, let’s continue reading Luke 1:29-33.  Listen church, I know you have heard this before, but I want you to really open your spiritual ears and hear the importance of what God is imparting to you here.  Luke 1:29-33 states:

    “And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the Angel said unto her, fear not, Mary:  For thou hast found favor with God.  And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest:  And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

There it is, my friends.   The prophecy sent forth by God to Mary by way of the angel Gabriel.  You will notice the young Mary was troubled at first.  But, Gabriel gave her the same message that God imparts to us when we are troubled.  “Fear not.”   Luke 1:34-35 sums it all up for us.  Listen carefully now.

    “Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee:  Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Do you get this, my friends?  That which was born of Mary is the son of God.  Now that is something to celebrate, isn’t it?  Now just in case you are wondering, an angel also appeared to Joseph and explained to him what was about to happen.  Joseph and Mary became husband and wife and the baby Jesus was born.  Do you not believe this historical happening to be more important than a mythical Santa Claus?  Well, I sure do.

Let me give you some homework for this week.  Read the Book of Luke Chapters 1-2.  Once you read the full accounting of the birth of Jesus Christ you will truly be blessed.  My friends, there are many things about the holiday called Christmas that are not based on Godly foundation or principle, but you can’t go wrong in remembering and telling your friends and family about the birth of the Savior of the world.

God Bless You,

Bro. Bob