WFW – Prepare The Way

We are now in the second week of Advent, so I’m running a bit behind!

The message of Advent is simple – prepare your hearts for the coming Lord.

For this week’s Word Filled Wednesday, I thought I’d share a few images and a passage on Mary’s preparation for her coming Savior. Enjoy!

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Luke 1:26-38

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In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

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The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

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Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

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But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

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You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus

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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

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“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

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Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.

For nothing is impossible with God.”

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“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

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Then the angel left her.

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May we all have the faith to answer God in the same manner… “I am the Lord’s servant, let it be to me as you have said”

I included the pictures from The Nativity Story as a reminder of the sacrifice that Mary (and later Joseph) would have to make during this time. Many people think of the beautiful picture of Mary in blue holding a curly-haired baby boy with Joseph standing or kneeling over them – a happy family. What many forget to realize is the change that would have come about in their lives as a result of this pregnancy.

1. They were not married yet. Whether the child was Joseph’s or not, they would be viewed as though they had begun their married life in sin.
2. Because they were not yet married, there would have been a social backlash against them. How much harder was it for Joseph to provide for “his” family when people wanted nothing to do with them?
3. Mary took a great chance – through faith in God – that Joseph himself would not stone her. That her family would not stone her. Being pregnant outside of marriage was a much more serious offense than we view it now. The penalty was death – and not a comfortable one either.
4. This was a recipe for disaster in a marriage – what is the percentage of marriages that fail because they were entered into due to pregnancy? Add to that the knowledge that this child was not the husband’s? Yes, God spoke to Joseph confirming the truth, but still… how many men would still question it?

Also keep in mind that Mary was only 15 years old. How many of us would have the level of faith to believe that God would provide in this situation? Even those of us with more than twice her years of experience? Te be shunned by your neighbors, to have a backlash against your new family, your parents, to be estranged from family and friends… then to find yourself making a long journey towards the end of your pregnancy, ending up in a stable! Most likely not a pretty one like we display each year, but a cave filled with the stench of animals. Pregnant, surrounded by the smells of wet fur, animal waste, rotting food… if that doesn’t cause you to be thankful for modern medicine, not much will! Then to give birth on the hay and manure-covered floor of a cave filled with animals. I thought this was the Son of God! Shouldn’t His life start out in nicer surroundings? Mary showed a tremendous amount of faith.

Joseph, also, was called out to place his trust in God. To take “damaged goods” as a wife – and to still love her. To see his business falter due to bad publicity, and to be saddled with the burden of a child – not HIS child – to provide for and care for. Oh, and to find your name on Herod’s Most Wanted list… fleeing with your small family for your lives. To follow God’s leading wherever He sent you. To love this boy as your own, to raise Him up, to shelter Him, to teach Him, and to treat Him no differently than your own children. And to not have your heart stung when He made references to the fact that you are not His father… yes, that took a great deal of faith and trust.

But, God will also provide the faith that we need to make it through each day of our lives. He will not call us to do anything that is beyond His ability to carry us through it. Will lit be beyond our ability to do it in our own strength? Absolutely! Otherwise we would not find the need to rely on Him to see it through.

As you prepare your heart for the coming celebration of our Lord’s birth, keep in mind the sacrifices that were made by the people surrounding Him before He was even born, and let their faith strengthen yours.

I pray that I will answer God’s call on my life in much the same way… “let it be done to me as You have said, for I am the servant of the Lord.”

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