“28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end…37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. ”
- Luke 1:28-38
Have you ever scared the daylights out of someone?
My wife does not like to be be startled, but I have to admit, one of my favorite things to do is sneak up behind her and say, “Whatchya’ doing?”. If I have been quiet enough, employing my cat-like reflexes, she jumps out of her skin and screams, “Why did you do that?”. All the while, I can’t stop laughing. I have to imagine the night Gabriel appeared to Mary, he probably scared the daylights out of her! Can you imagine being a teenager, room dimly lit, complete silence, then all of a sudden there appears an angel in all of his radiant brilliance before your very eyes with a message from God for you.
It’s no wonder Gabriel had to tell Mary, “Don’t be afraid.” That night would launch the culmination of all God’s promises being fulfilled. The wait was over. God would send His Son into the world through Mary, to fulfill every single promise about the Messiah and the world’s salvation through Him. Promises from before creation, after the fall, through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David… all would be fulfilled by Jesus’ coming to reside in the womb of a lowly teenager. Mary’s response of belief and surrender to the Lord’s service are incredible! Her surrender to the power of God unlocked the impossible!
As you hang your ornament, remember, when you surrender in service to God, His power makes the impossible become possible.