A Good Christmas Story

Mary, Joseph and the shepherds adore the new born Jesus. Painting: Wolfgang Sauber “Adoration by the Shepherds” Source: Creative Commons

           Who doesn’t like a good Christmas story? We all have one. Everyone I know enjoys reminiscing about Christmas past. Even when I turn on the radio to listen to Christmas music, someone often calls the host and shares their Christmas memories. Christmas stories give us all the “warm fuzzies” that help set the mood for the holiday season.

A Young Woman’s Faith 

          I’d like to take this time to step away from my usual blog post about nature to tell a Christmas story, a Christmas story about the faith of a young lady.

The Holy Spirit descends on Mary as the Angel Gabriel announces God’s plan of salvation. It took a lot of faith and courage for Mary to accept the assignment given her. Where did she get her faith from? Etching: Valentin Lefebvre. Source Welcome Images

            In the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 verses 26 to 38, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will have a child. And not just any child, but the Savior of the world the Hebrew nation has long hoped for. Mary humbly accepts this incredible commission.

            Have you ever wondered what kind of faith it took to accept such a task? Imagine the doubts that could have went through Mary’s head.
“What are my parents going to think when I tell them I am unmarried and pregnant?”
“What is the community going to think?”
“What’s my fiancé going to think?”
“How do I know this Gabriel guy is who he says he is?”
“Can I really trust God in spite of all these reasons to doubt?”
Surely, we have all asked this last question.

            Mary found herself in a very difficult situation and yet chose to believe. How often do we find ourselves in difficult situations? Do we choose as Mary did to believe that God would get us through it? As a result of her faith, in the words of her cousin Elizabeth in Luke 1:42, Mary became “blessed… among women.” No other woman in the history of the world is held in higher esteem than Mary, a humble peasant girl from an enslaved nation. It’s amazing what God does when we trust Him.

By knowing and studying God’s World like Mary did we can grow in our faith.

Growing in Our Faith

            We can see where Mary’s faith came from when we examine Luke 1:46-56 where she sings what is known as the “Magnificat”. In the “Magnificat” Mary referenced the Old Testament 15 times! For a young girl, Mary had an incredible knowledge of God’s Word. Mary’s faith came from knowing the Word of God!

            Faith comes from reading God’s Word and experiencing His truth in our lives. Notice the order. We cannot know His truth in our lives without first reading it in His word. One reason why I post The Visual Verse of the Day is because I want people to know God’s Word. The more we know His Word, the more our faith will grow. We need to read His Word everyday.

Click here to read about the faith of Mary’s husband Joseph.