Christmas

Christmas

“You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

Luke 1:31-35

Perhaps mothers can best understand the significance of the virgin birth of Jesus. Whether our children became part of our family through natural birth or adoption, they each had a physical father at conception. The Bible teaches us that Jesus did not. Joseph became Jesus’ physical father after birth, but it was God’s Spirit who miraculously provided for the Son of God to enter human existence through a virgin’s womb.

When Mary was visited by an angel who explained that she was highly favored by God, she was very frightened until the angel told her not to be afraid—the Lord was with her. She was told that she would give birth to a son whom she was to name Jesus, and that he would be the Son of God. Mary’s only question was, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She must have been a woman of great faith to ask “How?” Others might have said, “But this can’t be!”

The angel went on to explain that the Holy Spirit would empower this divine, nonphysical act so that Jesus, a human being, could also be called the Son of God. There’s huge significance for us in the angel’s words to Mary. In one of the greatest miracles of all time, Jesus was born fully God and fully man—the only one who could later bridge the gap between God and humans!

Eternal Father,

Thank you for your magnificent plan that brought your love down to us. Amen.