LUKE 1:38
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
And then the angel left her. (NLT)

Back in the days of what I’ll call “old Southland” (aka the 80s), we used to do a Christmas Program every year, complete with acting, narration, singing, a choir, and costumes. (If you were around for all that, don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten about the Living Christmas Tree!) It was a big deal, a whole lot of work, and a huge blessing at that time. One of the things I remember so vividly about those programs is hearing my mom who played Mary saying, “May it be to me as you have said,” when the angel visited her to tell her she was going to have a child. I’m not sure why that stuck with me so much, but it’s a core memory I have.

Can you imagine being Mary in that scenario? Or Joseph for that matter? I have no idea what my reaction would have been, but while I’d love to think I’d respond just like Mary did, I’d probably ask a whole lot more questions! However, Mary basically told the angel, “Hey, I trust the Lord. Whatever He wants, I’m good with.” Joseph did much the same after the angel visited him. We can learn so much about this story, but I want to point out two big things.

One, Mary found favor with God. Mary, a teenager. Mary, poor. Mary, a woman. She received the honor of carrying God’s son. I said it yesterday, but I’ll say it again and expound on it: God values women, and God values mankind regardless of cultural norms. We’ll dig into the story of the woman at the well later this week, but the Lord had no issue going against hierarchical systems of class imposed by humankind to show that all people are, in fact, created to bear His image and have extreme value. He proved this many times over, and this is one of them; when He called a young, unwed, poor teenager to bear the Son of God and entrusted her and her fiancé to raise Jesus and care for Him.

Both Mary and Joseph submitted to God’s authority even though it was a sacrifice for them. They both understood the importance of God’s plan and that they would be a part of it, bringing to it the strengths they were given to complement one another and give birth to/raise Jesus. They willingly submitted their lives and their plans to God. Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months and gave birth to him, in a barn no less, after faithfully telling Joseph the truth about the angel’s visit and whose child she was carrying. She trusted Joseph, was honest with him, and left any decision regarding their impending marriage up to him even though it could cost her her relationship, her reputation, and her livelihood. Joseph sought to protect Mary’s dignity, put His trust in the Lord, and ended up protecting Mary and their child, many times over, to keep them safe despite the potential cost of his reputation, his marriage, and his own happiness. Their faithfulness together is a beautiful picture of a marriage based on trust in God and submission to one another and the strengths each has been given.

Tuesday’s Reflection

We, men and women, were created to reflect God with strengths and qualities that can be used to complement each other and to spread the gospel message. Today, make a commitment to be a willing instrument of God, allowing Him to use you and the gifts He created you with to make an impact in the lives of others and to bring Him glory.