During these days that lead up to Christmas, we are spending
our time together in a sermon series entitled the advent conspiracy. During
this series, we are looking at an account of the Christmas story that is
recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke. This
week, we are looking at the response of Mary to the announcement of her
pregnancy with Jesus. Yesterday, we saw the Angel Gabriel, announce to a Jr.
High virgin named Mary that she would give birth to God who will rule and reign as He reveals and establishes the
kingdom of Heaven for all eternity.
Today, imagine yourself as Mary hearing that you are
going to become pregnant and give birth to God: What would you be thinking? How
would you respond? Probably just like Mary did in verse 34:
Mary said to
the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
In other words, Mary is asking “how is this possible?”
This is not a question of doubt or a lack of faith. Instead, this is a question
that flowed from a desire to understand. Mary is asking “How am I going to get
pregnant and have a child if I have never had sex before? I mean, usually you
have to have sex before you get pregnant. I have not had sex and I am not
married, so how am I going to become pregnant with God?” We see the angel
Gabriel’s response in verse 35:
The angel answered and said to her, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
To understand the angel Gabriel’s response, we first need
to define some terms. When the Angel Gabriel says "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you”, this phrase literally means that the Holy Spirit will come and
move upon you. The phrase “the power of the Most High will overshadow you”
literally means that the power of God would cover you. In other words, Mary
would become pregnant as a result of the supernatural power of God as displayed
through the Holy Spirit, who would creatively and supernaturally bring about
the physical conception of Jesus. In church mumbo jumbo talk, this is referred
to as the Immaculate Conception and the virgin birth.
You see, Mary did not become pregnant because God had sex
with Mary. God moved in a supernatural and unique way, displaying His power
through the Holy Spirit, to bring the second member of the Trinity into
humanity as the only begotten son of God. That is why Gabriel states that the
holy Child shall be called the son of God.
In the Bible, the Son of God is not a term that is used
to simply describe one’s place in a family tree. The Son of God is a title that
is used to describe Jesus association with God as the second member of the Trinity.
As the Holy Child, as God in a bod, Jesus would be set apart as distinct and
different from any other human child. Jesus was fully God and fully man.
And Jesus was set apart and sent to earth with a specific
mission, which was to give His life to provide humanity an opportunity to be
rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated humanity from God so
that they could receive forgiveness and experience the relationship with God
that they were created for. And in case that did not fully answer Mary’s
question, Gabriel states the following in verse 36:
"And behold, even your relative Elizabeth
has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now
in her sixth month."For nothing will be impossible with God."
In other words, the angel
Gabriel is saying “the reason that you being pregnant by the power of God
through the Holy Spirit is the same reason that your aunt Elizabeth, who is on
the other side of menopause and thought would never be blessed with a child, is
also pregnant. You see Mary, nothing is impossible with God. Just as God can bring
forth life from that which had been unable to bring forth life, God can bring
forth life from what had previously never attempted to bring forth life”.
Friday, we will see how Mary
responded and discover another timeless aspect of what the countdown to
Christmas is all about….
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