Luke 1:26-31; 2:22, 25-35

Mary as a virgin and as a mother — this lesson shows up glimpses of both “incarnations” of the mother of Jesus. Since this is a lengthy post featuring excerpts from several Christmas articles I have written over the years, here are the titles of them as they appear below:

• A Virgin Is Chosen
• The Testimonies of Simeon and Ana
• Simeon, Anna, and Baby Jesus
• Mary: Submissive, Joyful, Pondering
• Simeon. Me.
• Wonderful in His Birth

A Virgin Is Chosen

Isaiah prophesied many centuries before Mary that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. But he didn’t specify what kind of virgin. Surely in all of Israel God could have found a holy-but-unbetrothed-and-uninvolved virgin to choose instead of Mary!

Imagine the heartache and misunderstanding God could have spared Joseph and Mary had the Spirit come upon her in one of these scenarios:

1. God arranges the events in Mary’s life so that she never even “dates” nor is interested in a young man prior to the annunciation.
2. God acts sooner than He did in the Biblical record, sending Gabriel with his message before Mary is betrothed to Joseph.
3. God waits til immediately after Joseph and Mary’s wedding, but before their marriage is consummated.

Obviously, we do not know why God decided to chose a betrothed girl to be the Lord’s mother. But we do know that God chose the route of greatest blessing and efficacy. And Mary knew God well enough to have that same kind of confidence and faith in Him and His ways. We also know that Mary had her priorities straight — God before Joseph. She was willing to lose her beloved if pleasing her Beloved required it.

We have no inkling how long Gabriel chatted with Mary nor how many details of the divine plan he revealed to her. Maybe she expected to be spared the appearance of illegitimacy through a Scenario 3 set up. If so, morning sickness likely dashed those hopes fairly quickly. On the other hand, she may just have assumed Joseph would divorce her quietly. If so, her response as recorded in Luke 1:38 shows her readiness to patiently bear the double shame of divorce and apparent immorality. Or perhaps she remembered Job’s story and wondered if the circumstances of her selection didn’t reflect God’s confidence in Joseph and her. If so, she knew in her heart God’s limits on Satan and God’s limitless grace would serve to sustain her, Joseph, and their relationship. We could hypothesize quite a bit more, but of this we can be confident — Mary was primarily “the handmaid of the Lord” who would accept His word above all else. She knew the potential cost…and gave God a blank check.

Read the rest: A Virgin Is Chosen

The Testimonies of Simeon and Ana

How long will you be faithful?

I believe our generation faces deception such as previous generations have not seen. We need the aged ones to keep the faith so that we younger ones can also remain faithful. Simeon and Ana hung on to God and their faith in His promises for quite a long while, and as a result they were able to bless and encourage that young couple who brought a Baby to the temple one day.

Of course God doesn’t want the aged ones to take His place as the foundation of our faith. But He does want to pass along the faith from generation through generation. So find those faithful old folks, and be nourished by their faith! It will make your own faithfulness that much more likely. If they haven’t let go through all these years, why should you, why should I?

Of babies and stuff…

You’ll never hold the Messiah as some people got to. You’ll never have the opportunity to pronounce blessings on Baby Jesus like Simeon and Ana did. But in doing it unto the little ones around you, you do it unto Him. No, please don’t go around taking babies from their parents and uttering blessings upon them! But you could certainly bless them in and with your prayers. (You could even do this for anyone you think of as a big baby!)

Read the rest: The Testimonies of Simeon and Ana

Simeon, Anna, and Baby Jesus

Anna and Simeon had such an honor, such a blessing, such a privilege! Talk about being at the right place at the right time! We must not be so swept away by that so as to miss the truth that their glorious experience capped a life of faithful attention to God’s Spirit. The less we walk in the Spirit, the more we will fail to be at the right places at the right times.

The world in which we live knows increasing depths of sin, despair, corruption, hopelessness, and darkness. We know (hopefully to increasing depths and heights) He Who was the “consolation in Israel” and the “redemption in Jerusalem.” Because of that, we can survive and flourish in this corrupt world. Shall we not then declare Him to those who do not yet know Him? May His light and glory flood out from us to encompass others who need Him.

“She was of a great age…but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:36,37). It is to our own peril and the hindrance of our own service when we who are younger and “more active” overlook or disregard this service of the elderly.

Read the rest: Simeon, Anna, and Baby Jesus

Mary: Submissive, Joyful, Pondering

Mary did not have an exalted view of herself. Otherwise, her response to the angel might well have been along the lines of, “Yes, I know.” Instead, the angel’s greeting puzzled her. But she didn’t allow her lack of understanding to get in the way of her availability. She simply wanted to be looked on as the Lord’s servant, humbly adding: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).

We can be certain that at that moment Mary didn’t know the full cost of that accepting availability. However, she did know the certainty of her commitment to the God of her fathers. And she knew the depth of her love for Jehovah. That meant no cost could possibly be too high. So submission was the only logical response. Whatever He might ask of her, she would gladly give.

I want to live that kind of submission to the will and Word of God. Not only that, I want to enjoy being submissive, from the heart, with no reserve. How about you? May the Lord grant that we determine to pay whatever cost in order to live out our commitment to Jesus in willing submission!

Read the rest: Mary: Submissive, Joyful, Pondering

Simeon. Me.

“And he came by the Spirit into the temple…” (Luke 2:27).

I want to be like Simeon that way — propel-able and stear-able by God’s Spirit. Not just to the meeting place of God’s people. But wherever God wants me to be at any given time.

That only comes from continual surrender to Jesus. And from ongoing contact with Him. And growing in awareness of Him.

Read the rest: Simeon. Me.

Wonderful in His Birth

• Is my giving planned and purposeful?
• Which of my treasures am I planning to give the Lord?
• Why should I dare give anything less than my best to The Highest Sovereign?
• If an item is “good enough” for God, why should I have anything better?
• Do I believe God cares for me the way He watched out for His Son?
• Being God’s son makes what difference to me?
• Do I care about the daily battles involving God’s Son?
• How have I sought Jesus so far today?

Read the rest: Wonderful in His Birth