THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE- EXALTATION THROUGH SUBMISSION
Christmas is a season when we remember the many miracles that accompanied the birth of Christ. Amazing things happened as God took on flesh and became man amidst us. And it all began with the miracle of the conception of Jesus within the virgin Mary’s womb. The account given in Luke 1 is quite elaborate.
The angel went to her (Mary) and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” —-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. —–
“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. —– For nothing is impossible with God.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (v28-38)
God’s favor is the starting point. Nothing has its origins outside the realm of God or his will. He determines the choice of Mary as his vessel to bring forth the Son of God into this world. And because it’s God’s choice, there is order and the possibility of fruition of a miracle.
Mary is shocked and surprised at the magnitude of what has been said to her. But having lived in sync with God and his will for her all her life, accepting this became a possibility despite the incredulousness of it all.
Next, we see not just a unilateral declaration of the miracle to come, but a necessity for consent as the angel leaves her only after she gets to a point where she submits to God’s plan for her. Herein we see Mary’s faith and submission to God, which sets the stage for the miracle of Christ’s birth to unfold.
Mary goes on to declare how God exalts those who follow him and submit to him, lifting up the humble and filling the hungry with good things.(v52,53) And that really is the miracle that Christmas offers to all who believe and submit- to the will and purpose of God.
