Blogging Through The Season - Day 11

BLOGGING THROUGH THE ADVENT SEASON
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
DAY 11
Mary—Mother of our Lord and Savior
Minister Paulette Larmond
We were introduced to Mary in St. Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26-38 when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her with the pronouncement of the miraculous and imminent immaculate conception of Jesus the Messiah. In Luke 1:30-33, “The angel said to her, Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.  See! You are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early father David sat. He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end.” Mary at that time was betrothed to Joseph, to be married. This was both unique and conflicting because Mary was a virgin and by the law of the land, this case was a serious breach of fidelity.
When Mary was told what was to come, she asked: “How can this be?” I believe Mary was saying, how will I explain this to Joseph or anyone else? How will I become pregnant without knowing a man…? Mary did not yet understand that what was happening to her was the fulfillment of the prophecy that was foretold in Isaiah 7:14 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Thankfully, Mary’s humility allowed her to accept the Word spoken over her. Her faith in God did not deter her from being obedient and to be that vessel that God needed to use to bring the Messiah into this world. She boldly declared: “I'm here! The Lord's servant! Let it happen for me just as you have said!" She also praised God for choosing her and allowing this phenomenon to occur (Luke 1:46-55). This was Mary’s Song:
“My soul glorifies the Lord!
 And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant (and)
From now on all generations will call me blessed…”

Like Mary, most of us, are living our best lives, unaware of what God has in store for us. As Mary’s interruption threw her into a life of prominence, forever changed by her destiny to bear the Son of God; let us realize that God also has plans for each of us. He needs us to be His vessels to get His work done. Are we humbling ourselves enough? Are we obedient enough? Do we trust God to manifest His plans in our lives enough? We may not understand what His plans are, but we will do well by trusting that His plans for us are perfect.I’m truly inspired by Mary. She trusted God to do what He needed --beyond human comprehension. She did not care how others would view her. How brave and courageous! Like Mary, we should strive to live our lives, so that we can be honored by God for Him to entrust us with earthly impossibilities. Earthly impossibilities are God’s actualities. In this Advent season, won’t you let the Christ of Christmas rule in your hearts and minds. Would you like Mary, trust Him as you look forward into the new year of limitless possibilities?  God bless!