Matthew 1:34-38
Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Listen, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age even though she was called barren, and this is her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible for God.” Then Mary said, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for such a marvelous message of good news you sent to Mary through your angel Gabriel; you were sending us your Son. Mary would carry and give birth to the long-expected Savior; she was the one you had selected to be the mother of our Lord. Mary was a virgin and a descendant from the line of David; other than that, not much else made her stand out. She was a sinner like all of us, needing a Savior.
We, too, need a Savior; sometimes, our sins can feel like there is no way out, that our sins are so excessive, and nothing we do can undo all we have done. We might even feel like we do not deserve to be forgiven. But through Jesus’ death on the cross, we hear the good news. He has absolved every one of our sins. When we ask, “how can we ever be forgiven?” We hear the angel’s words ring in our ears, “For nothing will be impossible for God.” For us, you have already carried out your plan of salvation, which came through this young virgin; she carried our Savior into the world. She raised Jesus and then watched him die on that cursed tree for all our sins. When he came into the world, the sins of the world were upon him as he laid in that manger the first Christmas. It was by his wounds we are healed of all our transgressions. We thank you for choosing Mary, your faithful servant, and carrying our Immanuel into this world. Amen.
Pastor Roger Emmons
Such a wonderful, magnificent announcement of great news, so fantastic, that God sent an angel to proclaim the message. May you hear that message of sin’s forgiveness that was born of a virgin and in Bethlehem’s manger.