MARY CHRISTMAS
MARY CHRISTMAS
Yes, you heard me right. Again I say to you MARY CHRISTMAS. But you say my brother you have misspelled “merry” in the greeting. No I did not. I am still saying to you Mary Christmas. So what is the point? We must have a Mary Christmas otherwise you will never have a “merry Christmas”.
The World is celebrating and having a “merry Christmas” without the Mary Christmas. Talk to the merchants and departmental stores and all kinds of money making machines. It is time to make it or break it in terms of the year’s bottom line (aka profit). Those who sell enough and much more will have a “merry (happy) Christmas”, without the “Mary Christmas”. Likewise those who run themselves crazy buying more will equally think they are having a “merry Christmas” and may never experience the “Mary Christmas”. I am not ditching happy Christmas but rather we can and should have both.
Mary Christmas is believing the unbelievable and receiving the impossible. Is this your definition of Christmas? This is the true Christmas Mary lived and experienced. Mary believed God and received God. Is this your Christmas or are you looking for something else? If you do, you will only be chasing shadows and will end up having a “merry Christmas” without ever experiencing the true Mary Christmas. In fact your whole life could be spent expecting and living out a “merry Christmas” and never experiencing a Mary Christmas.
Do you and I really believe God and believe in God? Mary believed God despite her circumstances.
Luke1:5-25
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” …..
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have”
1. We are introduced to Mary as a teenage girl engaged to be married. “A virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary”. Just for a moment imagine what was going on in Mary’s head. Mary was troubled and afraid. I have two young nieces that are engaged to be married soon. I can’t imagine them telling me or their fiancé, ‘Oh by the way, I expecting and this is God’s doing’. It was for Mary, something to be laughed at and ridiculed by friends, neighbors, etc. In fact in that culture then Mary risked being charged with adultery and being stoned. Is God calling you to a “Mary-type” responsibility that may cause you to be ridiculed and laughed at? Let’s not dismiss doing God’s will just to avoid ridicule. So what we are ridiculed and laughed at?
2. Mary needed further understanding from God and asked for it. “34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” It shall be done by the Holy Spirit the angel said to Mary. She heard God and believed. “May your word to me be fulfilled” vs. 38. Where do you need further understanding in order to believe and receive/carry/bear God? We may not have angelic visits but further understanding may come from a brother or sister that is inspired by the Holy Spirit or it could come directly from reading and studying the written word of God.
3. Compare Mary to Zachariah. 18”Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Both Mary and Zachariah asked questions. There is nothing wrong with asking except for the motive. God knows our motive and knows when we have doubts and unbelief. Mary believed and Zachariah doubted God. Zachariah recited his circumstances instead of meditating on the word of God he had just received. Remember that we walk by faith and not by sight. Let’s believe in God and in His word despite our circumstances.
4. Believing God means taking actions that align with your faith. Mary believed God and took immediate step of faith since “faith without works is dead” James 2;20. Mary took off and went to visit Elizabeth whom God has already visited and had accomplished a miracle of pregnancy in old age. Be encouraged by what God is already doing in the life of a brother or sister because such will help build our faith. Elizabeth also confirmed Mary’s believe and affirmed her. Can you do that for someone today?
5. There are sometimes temporary consequences for unbelief like in the case of Zachariah. 19 “The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” God will accomplish His will in spite of us. Lord, help me to say yes to you because I do not want to be dumb for nine months or longer.
6. Let’s not forget Joseph because he also believed and received God despite his circumstances. “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins”... When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus” Matthew 1:19-25. Joseph kept and received Mary and in doing so he received God. Can you give someone the benefit of doubt today even though you do not understand what God is doing in his/her life?
What is God asking of us this Christmas and in fact all of our lives. It is simple and that is to believe Him the true and almighty God. The angel said to Mary and to us. 37 “For no word from God will ever fail.” Another translation said 37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Just think about it for a moment. The God who created all things from nothing and holds everything in balance is equally able to bring a child (himself) into the womb of a virgin without any physical union with man. He equally can and did raise himself from dead to redeem man from our sins. This is a God worth believing in and worth serving. Do you have any other God? “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me”. Exodus 20:2-3.
Christmas is more of believing and receiving than giving. God has already given us His son so all we can do is receive Him with gratitude just like Mary. Will you receive Jesus the son of God today? And will you believe that He is the only savior from sin/destruction and not be afraid to know that “He will never leave us nor forsake us”. Let’s tell someone the true story of Christmas and invite them to have a “Mary Christmas” and receive God. You have been “highly favored” by God just like Mary. This is God’s Grace to us. Receive His Grace today and believe in Him. Faith (belief) in God is the only thing that pleases Him.
Mary Christmas to you and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Yes, you heard me right. Again I say to you MARY CHRISTMAS. But you say my brother you have misspelled “merry” in the greeting. No I did not. I am still saying to you Mary Christmas. So what is the point? We must have a Mary Christmas otherwise you will never have a “merry Christmas”.
The World is celebrating and having a “merry Christmas” without the Mary Christmas. Talk to the merchants and departmental stores and all kinds of money making machines. It is time to make it or break it in terms of the year’s bottom line (aka profit). Those who sell enough and much more will have a “merry (happy) Christmas”, without the “Mary Christmas”. Likewise those who run themselves crazy buying more will equally think they are having a “merry Christmas” and may never experience the “Mary Christmas”. I am not ditching happy Christmas but rather we can and should have both.
Mary Christmas is believing the unbelievable and receiving the impossible. Is this your definition of Christmas? This is the true Christmas Mary lived and experienced. Mary believed God and received God. Is this your Christmas or are you looking for something else? If you do, you will only be chasing shadows and will end up having a “merry Christmas” without ever experiencing the true Mary Christmas. In fact your whole life could be spent expecting and living out a “merry Christmas” and never experiencing a Mary Christmas.
Do you and I really believe God and believe in God? Mary believed God despite her circumstances.
Luke1:5-25
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” …..
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have”
1. We are introduced to Mary as a teenage girl engaged to be married. “A virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary”. Just for a moment imagine what was going on in Mary’s head. Mary was troubled and afraid. I have two young nieces that are engaged to be married soon. I can’t imagine them telling me or their fiancé, ‘Oh by the way, I expecting and this is God’s doing’. It was for Mary, something to be laughed at and ridiculed by friends, neighbors, etc. In fact in that culture then Mary risked being charged with adultery and being stoned. Is God calling you to a “Mary-type” responsibility that may cause you to be ridiculed and laughed at? Let’s not dismiss doing God’s will just to avoid ridicule. So what we are ridiculed and laughed at?
2. Mary needed further understanding from God and asked for it. “34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” It shall be done by the Holy Spirit the angel said to Mary. She heard God and believed. “May your word to me be fulfilled” vs. 38. Where do you need further understanding in order to believe and receive/carry/bear God? We may not have angelic visits but further understanding may come from a brother or sister that is inspired by the Holy Spirit or it could come directly from reading and studying the written word of God.
3. Compare Mary to Zachariah. 18”Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Both Mary and Zachariah asked questions. There is nothing wrong with asking except for the motive. God knows our motive and knows when we have doubts and unbelief. Mary believed and Zachariah doubted God. Zachariah recited his circumstances instead of meditating on the word of God he had just received. Remember that we walk by faith and not by sight. Let’s believe in God and in His word despite our circumstances.
4. Believing God means taking actions that align with your faith. Mary believed God and took immediate step of faith since “faith without works is dead” James 2;20. Mary took off and went to visit Elizabeth whom God has already visited and had accomplished a miracle of pregnancy in old age. Be encouraged by what God is already doing in the life of a brother or sister because such will help build our faith. Elizabeth also confirmed Mary’s believe and affirmed her. Can you do that for someone today?
5. There are sometimes temporary consequences for unbelief like in the case of Zachariah. 19 “The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” God will accomplish His will in spite of us. Lord, help me to say yes to you because I do not want to be dumb for nine months or longer.
6. Let’s not forget Joseph because he also believed and received God despite his circumstances. “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins”... When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus” Matthew 1:19-25. Joseph kept and received Mary and in doing so he received God. Can you give someone the benefit of doubt today even though you do not understand what God is doing in his/her life?
What is God asking of us this Christmas and in fact all of our lives. It is simple and that is to believe Him the true and almighty God. The angel said to Mary and to us. 37 “For no word from God will ever fail.” Another translation said 37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Just think about it for a moment. The God who created all things from nothing and holds everything in balance is equally able to bring a child (himself) into the womb of a virgin without any physical union with man. He equally can and did raise himself from dead to redeem man from our sins. This is a God worth believing in and worth serving. Do you have any other God? “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me”. Exodus 20:2-3.
Christmas is more of believing and receiving than giving. God has already given us His son so all we can do is receive Him with gratitude just like Mary. Will you receive Jesus the son of God today? And will you believe that He is the only savior from sin/destruction and not be afraid to know that “He will never leave us nor forsake us”. Let’s tell someone the true story of Christmas and invite them to have a “Mary Christmas” and receive God. You have been “highly favored” by God just like Mary. This is God’s Grace to us. Receive His Grace today and believe in Him. Faith (belief) in God is the only thing that pleases Him.
Mary Christmas to you and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
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