Day 9, The Christmas Story, Logic or Faith

Good morning. It is Thursday, December 10. I hope you had time yesterday to place your hand on the scripture and remind yourself that your name is written in the palm of God’s hand and that he calls us by name. We continue with Mary’s visit with Gabriel today...

30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

I find the pattern here interesting, because it is so very much like Gabriel’s encounter with Zechariah. Gabriel shows up, the person is startled and even afraid. Gabriel calls them by name and tells them not to be afraid. He then proceeds to tell what God is going to do, and even the details to follow. He tells Mary that she will have a baby, a boy, and tells her what to name him (Jesus, meaning “The Lord Saves”), that he will be given the throne of his ancestor, David, he will reign over Israel forever, etc. (A fulfillment of the prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:16) A mind-boggling string of announcements, enough to cause one to stagger. And what does she do? Exactly what Zechariah did. She heard the first thing he said and probably was in shock over it and couldn’t move past it yet to get the full effect of the rest of the announcement.

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

Just as had happened to Zechariah, her finite mind stopped at the point she heard “you are going to conceive and give birth to a son”. Which would be the obvious place it would screech to a halt for any human, since she was a virgin. She may have been young and naive, but she was smart enough to know virgins don’t have babies! And the old friend Logic showed up and asked, How can this happen? Zechariah asked “how can I KNOW this will happen”, but Mary only asked “how can this happen”. Zechariah, a priest, a man up in years, a man who was a leader, who ministered in the temple, wanted proof that he could know it would happen. Mary, young and naive, was not asking for proof. I believe she was innocently wondering how you could have a baby if you are a virgin. So Gabriel proceeded to explain it to her.

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Remember, in the last verse, Gabriel said Jesus would be called the “Son of the Most High”. Here, he reiterates that phrase by explaining to her that the “power of the Most High” would overshadow her. Gabriel explains that the reason she will have a baby in a humanly impossible way is that the power of the Most High will overshadow her. The child will be holy. Her son will be called the Son of God. (Among others, Peter’s pronouncement comes to mind from Matthew 16:16, when he said “You are the Messiah, the son of the Living God.”) So, Gabriel took the care to explain to Mary further. Then he gives another announcement to Mary...

36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

I believe he was fueling her faith. He told her what was going to happen. He then explained it further. Then, he added to his pronouncement the fact that her relative, Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age (Zechariah wasn’t quite so blunt – he said she was “well along in years” – smart man). Not only was she going to have a humanly impossible baby, her relative Elizabeth, who had been wanting a child for years, but was old and barren, was now six months pregnant. There was somebody else out there to talk to, who would believe her story, who could encourage her, who had also experienced a divine intervention that could not have occurred apart from the Most High God.

“FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!”
Do you really believe that? Do you honestly believe that is still a true statement today? Are you truly able in your mind and heart and spirit to look back those few years ago and believe this actually happened? We say yes, we are a Christian, of course we believe it happened just like it is written. We say, yes, we believe that God’s timing was impeccable. After years of praying for a Messiah, we believe God had chosen that time to come to answer the prayers of his people. Yes, we believe Zechariah was in the Holy Place burning incense that day by divine providence. Of course, we believe Mary was a virgin and yes, we believe Gabriel was burning up the highway between heaven and earth. And yes, even though we can’t physically explain it, we believe Jesus was actually God’s son. And yes, we believe God delights in impossible situations. And yes, we believe old barren Elizabeth had a baby. And yes, we believe the impossible situation is really the truest way for Him and Him alone to receive glory. And yes, he uses finite, frail, logical humans, so his power can be show-cased in our weakness. We believe he used that pattern over and over and over in the stories we read in the Bible. Maybe, by now, you even say you believe that God calls you, personally, by name and writes your name in the palm of his hand.

We say we believe, but ... we worry over the smallest, most insignificant things. Things that, in the end, make absolutely no difference in eternity. Things that won’t matter by next week or next year. Things that are material and temporal. We believe our situation is beyond help, beyond saving. Let me just tell you, you can’t believe both ways. And, believe me, I’m preaching to myself too! One is going to win out, no matter what you profess. The one that wins out will be the one you truly believe, and it will be the one you base your life and actions on. It will be the one everybody sees when they watch you. Only one belief is true. Whether it is 0 A.D. or 2009 A.D.,did God change? Does he still have a perfect timetable? How would we, in our culture, today, accept these events? With skepticism? With doubt? Asking for proof? How do you accept the own impossibilities in your life? What would your answer be to Gabriel if he showed up while you were reading this email and told you God wanted to do something unexplainable and miraculous in your life? Would you rely on logic? Would your first reaction be to doubt? If you are like me, you fit the above description. I don’t like that, but I must admit that is how I often live and act.

Today let God convict you in the dark corners of your heart that harbor unbelief in his ways, his timing, his miracles, his provision, his answers. And tomorrow, we will see what Mary’s response was to Gabriel.

Isaiah 41: (9) "I have called you back from the ends of the earth so you can serve me. For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. (10) Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (13) "I am holding you by your right hand - I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, 'Do not be afraid. I am here to help you." (20) Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it is the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, who did it."


Praying that God helps us all in our personal areas of worry and doubt and unbelief before we go any further in this story...
Teresa