In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
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.
~Luke 1:26-35
Put the angel's greetings in to your own words. Why do you think this greeting troubled Mary?
- "Hello, Mary. I have come to bring you news from teh Lord."
- She was unsure if this was good news or bad news.
If an angel were to visit you today, what sort of greeting do you think he would give you? What would the greeting reveal about your character and about your relationship with God?
- I think he would give me the same kind of greeting that Mary received
- If God has made me highly favored of Him, then he sees that I am a good person and abide by what he says
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. For no word from God will ever fail.
~Luke 1:36-37
What two things does the angel tell Mary In these verses? Why would he tell her about Elizabeth? Why would he tell her that "nothing is impossible with God"? Didn't Mary already know this?
- Elizabeth is going to have a child and God's word will never fail
- so that Mary could be assured that she was not alone
If truly "nothing is impossible with God," what area of your life or circumstance do you need to turn over to him? What is keeping you from doing this?
- that he will show me the way to someone that will make me happy in love
- my impatience
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
~Luke 1:38
What does Mary's response tell you about her? Do you think at this point she truly realizes what her future holds? How will the attitude apparent in these words help her in the difficult times in the future?
- that she is not afraid of God's plan
- yes, and her attitude will help her be strong in the future
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
~Luke 2:1-7
These words are so familiar and the story so well-known. The birth of God on earth becomes commonplace, ordinary. Reread these verses, considering while you do the emotions Joseph and Mary must have experienced, what they might have said to each other, how they might have prayed. Then contemplate the actual event: not just the birth of a baby but the birth of the Christ!
- Both Mary and Joseph must have been full of many emotions. They were probably both very excited and very scared at the same time as probably most couples are when their child is about to come to the world. Joseph for sure was probably constantly reassuring Mary that they will find a place for the baby to be born, and they both probably prayed that they would find that place soon and that it would be in a safe part of town.
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
~Luke 2:41-52
Who does Mary call Jesus' father? Who does Jesus say his father is? Why is this significant?
- Joseph
- God
- Jesus in a way has two fathers. One earthly and one spiritual
Verse 51 says Mary and Joseph "did not understand" what Jesus meant by what he said to them. However, verse 51 says that Mary "treasured all these things in her heart." Contrast the two verses. What do you think is meant by "treasured"?
- Mary might have been upset with Jesus, but she still loved him no matter what
- she loved every day she she spent with him
- eventhough Mary was upset with Jesus, she still loved him no matter what
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
~John 19:25-27
It is pretty hard to put into words the agony Mary must have been experiencing as she watched her son die. Seeing her distress must have added to Jesus' torment. What does this scene tell you about their relationship?
- that they loved each other very much as mother and son
Watching a son or daughter die is perhaps the most painful experience known to the human race. Where is the only place one can go to find some comfort when such painful events enter our lives? Why?
- God, because he understands all of our pain and will comfort us at any time we are at our lowest
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