In many ways our passage for today is the very heart of the Christian movement. The angel Gabriel announces to Mary, even though she is a virgin, she will become pregnant and her child will be God’s Messiah, the Savior of the world. Many, many people stumble over these words. Because Luke is recording something too far-fetched for modern minds to accept, too far removed from established scientific fact, many, many people dismiss the story from having any meaningful, relevant application to life.
Perhaps this is the reason that in the New Testament, outside of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth is not mentioned. The Apostle Paul chose to go in another direction to announce that Jesus is God’s Messiah, the Savior of the world: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
It would seem the Bible has put us between the rock and a hard place. Faith that the Bible has meaningful, relevant application to life comes from believing in the virgin birth of Jesus or Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Actually, I have never met a person who said they came to faith in God by believing the Christmas Story. But, I have met thousands who say they came to faith in God by believing the Resurrection Story. AND, because of faith in the resurrection of Jesus, they receive the Christmas Story as a gift from God affirming to them that the Resurrected Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.
God with us; that’s Good News that has meaningful, relevant application to life.
What word or phrase in these verses
attracts your attention?
Reflect on that word or phrase.
What insights come to you?
How does this passage touch your life today?
23-Dec-11 Luke 1:39-56
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