Partakers Christmas Thought 19 December 2021 – Christmas 22

Partakers Christmas Thought

19 December 2021

Mary

Part 1: An Angelic Visitor

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 favoured! 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 favour 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 for ever; 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.
(Luke 1:26-38)

There is much to be said about this time of year we call Christmas. Worldwide there are about 250 babies born every minute. Yet, the birth we celebrate at Christmas, is like no other birth of a human. That birth of the man Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, caused the world to change. The birth of Jesus Christ causes more of the world today to pause amidst the busy-ness of life, take a breath amidst the noise of daily life and celebrate in many different ways and fashions.

As we continue to look at the event in the Christian calendar of Christmas, over the next few podcasts, we will look at one of the very central figures, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary, although a teenager at the time, was given the great privilege and awesome responsibility of carrying and giving birth to God’s Son, the Messiah.

In the Podcast today, in the lead up to Christmas, we start a series of Podcasts looking at Mary, the mother of Jesus. Listen to or download the mp3 to hear more about this most extraordinary yet ordinary woman.

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