Good morning,
Perfectly chosen people
When God the Father was ready to send his son Jesus to live on earth in a human body, he carefully and perfectly chose the people who would be used to give Jesus life and credibility. God started this process by sending an angel, Gabriel, to two old godly people too old to have children to have a son and to name him John. The angel told them that this boy, will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.(Luke 1:15) The angel also said, He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival.(v.17) John was born just like the angel said. Then God sent Gabriel to talk to a young woman Mary, greeted her by saying, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”(Luke 1:28) Gabriel told her not to be afraid, “for God has decided to bless you!(v.30) He told her that she would have a son and that she should name him Jesus. He also told her that her son would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High and that God would give him the throne of his ancestor David. Then he added, And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”(v,33) That really confused Mary who asked, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”(v.34) Gabriel explained, “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.(v.35) Mary’s response was beautiful. “I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.”(v.38) Mary was engaged, but they were not married yet.
When Mary shared this news with Joseph three months later, Joseph was ready to call their wedding off. When he went to bed that night an angel from God show up in a dream and said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.(Mat.1:20) The angel also told him that she would have a son to be named Jesus and that that he would save his people from their sins. He also reminded him that Isaiah had prophesied that God would give them Immanuel(God with us) this way. When Joseph woke up he brought Mary home to be his wife and Mary remained a virgin until Jesus was born. Joseph did what he was told. Their neighbors were not impressed. When Joseph went back to Bethlehem to pay his taxes to the Roman government he took Mary with him. While they were there Jesus was born as the prophets had said and a vast group of angels showed up to celebrate Jesus’ birth to a group of shepherds watching their sheep. The shepherds went to see Jesus as they were told, but no one was willing to believe the shepherds. When wise men showed up in Jerusalem asking where they might find the newborn king, the religious leaders said that Bethlehem was supposed to be the place, but no one else seemed bothered to go and check for themselves. The wise men started out that direction and a star showed up and stopped over the house where Jesus was staying. The wise men left their gifts and, when warned by God, left for home without telling the wicked king Herod what they found. When Herod tried to kill Jesus, Joseph and Mary were already on their way to Egypt as they were told and stayed there until it was safe to go back to Nazareth again. Why did God choose these people, and others as well, to be part of this plan for the birth of the Son Of God? God chose them because they were people who knew and loved and trusted and obeyed God. Praise God, that is still true for us today.
Hebrews 11:6 So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Roy Wisner
