God's Word Does Not Fail

 

 Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

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 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.

As we approach Christmas, reading this account of the Annunciation helps us to appreciate God's generous plan for our salvation and Mary's generous and willing response to it. Her faith and trust in the God behind this outlandish proposal reveal her amazing capacity to put herself at the total disposal of God, the God she loved above all and in whom she trusted infinitely. Her openness and willingness to do God's will above all else shows us the path we are called to follow. As we count down the days of Advent, may we pray that we assume the heart and disposition of Mary as we attempt to accept and live out God's invitation to us to be bearers of his Son to our world. His word does not fail, let us not fail him.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, grant me the openness and willingness of Mary to accept your invitation to bear Jesus in my heart and share him with all who come into my life, today and in the days ahead. Amen.