Next week, we will begin our countdown to Christmas with stories of the angels, the Magi, and my annual classic that focuses on Handel's Messiah. This week I want to do one last entry in our women of purpose in the Bible series and look at a woman who figured prominently in the Christmas story: Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some are hesitant to talk much about Mary due to the position the Catholic Church has assigned her, but Mary is worthy of our consideration as a woman of purpose, so let's see what we can learn from Mary's life that can help us in our PurposeQuest. (I wrote about this just a month ago, so you may also want to check out that post as well.)
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Here is the announcement that ushered in the Christmas story:
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 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. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38).
We don't know much about Mary since this is the first mention of her in the Bible. God made a decision that Mary was to be the mother of Jesus, and sent Gabriel to make the announcement. Put yourself in Mary's place. She was probably a teenager. Perhaps this was her first encounter with supernatural being. She was engaged, but was informed that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. With all that background, Mary asked one question and only one: "How can this be?"
THE ANSWER
The angel gave her a simple answer: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." Mary had as much information after the question as before, for she did not have an awareness of the Spirit that we have today. All she understood was that God was going to make it happen. It is fascinating to me that she did not ask another question, but simply responded, "May your word to be be fulfilled." That represents great faith, which is the prerequisite for anyone to find and fulfill his or her purpose. You may think that Mary's purpose was to give birth to Jesus. It was not. To identify her purpose, we go a little further into Luke's gospel to see the words of Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, that define Mary's purpose: "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
It was Mary's role to oversee in faith the promises and mission of her son, Jesus. Mary was there when the shepherds came to see Jesus, when the Magi came to worship Jesus, when Herod came to kill Jesus, when the elders of Israel listened to 12-year-old Jesus, when Jesus began His public ministry, when Jesus was hung on a cross, and when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. If Mary's purpose was to give birth to Jesus, her purpose was finished the day He was born. Her purpose to believe God for her Son's protection and blessing was a lifelong task.
THE APPLICATION
Perhaps you have not progressed in your purpose because you want more information. You have asked "How can this be?" and received the same answer as Mary did: "God will accomplish it." Since that is not specific enough for you, you wait, and wait, and wait, and today you are no further along than you were a few years ago because your expectations are unrealistic. God does not owe you a full explanation before you begin to take steps in your PurposeQuest. Thus you wait, and therefore He waits, and you end up staying in exactly the same place as you have been for quite a while, satisfied that you are waiting on the Lord.
I urge you this holiday season to reconsider Mary and her role not only in the Christmas story but also in the life of Jesus. Observe her reactions and responses, and apply them to your own life. Your role is not just to give birth to your purpose; your role is to raise it maturity so it can bear fruit. May God be with you as we end another year and position you to progress on your purpose path as never before. Have a blessed week.
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