“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
–Luke 1:31
It is hard to believe that Christmas is just days away. If you are anything like me, you might be wondering where December went. I think it might be an understatement to say that this is one of the busiest times of the year. Many of us are trying to catch our breath because we feel like we have been running a hundred miles an hour since Thanksgiving.
Today, in this moment, I invite you to stop. Stop thinking about what you need to do. Stop thinking about the gifts you need to wrap or the phone calls you need to make. In this moment, allow yourself to pause and catch your breath. Allow yourself to simply just be in the presence of God your Maker.
In the story of the Annunciation, Mary was delivered news that undoubtedly made her stop everything she was doing and sit still before the Lord. Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary? There she was, going about her business of drawing water from the well, cooking, and cleaning when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and greeted her with words of assurance and peace. “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Whatever seemed important to her before this visitation surely paled in comparison to what the angel would share with her. “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” The angel then told her that her son will be great, he will be God’s own son, and that he will rule over an eternal kingdom on the throne of David. Moreover, the angel told Mary that her son would be different from every other human that would ever walk the face of the earth. Her son would be holy by nature – he wouldn’t have to try to do the right things, he wouldn’t be influenced by the sinful patterns of this world. Instead, her son would naturally be in a right relationship with God and with others. Whew, what a birth announcement!
This birth announcement changed more than Mary’s life – it changed the entire course of history. The baby that was born to Mary accomplished more than anyone could ever have dreamed. Mary’s holy baby did what no other human could do – because he was God in the flesh coming to dwell with people, Jesus made it possible for us to be in relationship with God. He made it possible for everyone else to be holy, free from the influence of this world’s sinful patterns and free to live in a right relationship with God and others.
The baby that was born to Mary on that first Christmas Eve interrupted the patterns of this world and forever changed human life. In this season of busyness, let this divine birth announcement interrupt your routines and change your life. Be still before the Lord and soak in this good news: God loves you for who you are. God longs to be in relationship with you. God longs for you to know and love God. God loves you so much, in fact, that God came to this earth as a human so that you can know God and receive God’s abundant and eternal life.
Advent Blessings,
Laura
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