December 6, 2018
Luke 1:28-33 – Blessed
“Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” -Luke 1:31
Blessed:
• held in reverence
• honored in worship
• of or enjoying happiness
• bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune
I want to share a video today, it was originally written as a poem by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius and first published in 1582 and is sung by a capella choir.
I love the beautiful stained glass images in the video and the wondrous story it portrays of Jesus’ birth and life!
What is your typical reaction when someone comes to you and says, “Don’t be upset!” Most of us respond with, “Why? What happened? or something similar. I’ve been thinking about Mary, here we have a young girl, probably around 13 years old, she promised in marriage to a man, who was probably a bit older than she and now an Angel appears to her and tells her she is favored by God and then says to her, “Do not be afraid,” never-mind the fact that an Angel, yes a real Angel is in front of you and talking to you, Wow! I can’t imagine Mary’s thoughts at that moment in time, fear/being afraid was probably only one of many thoughts. The parts of the story Luke doesn’t tell us is what the Angel looked like, flesh and bone like Mary, spirit or a day-dream like experience. This is most likely not a critical issue of the story, what we do know is that Mary was a believer in God and had knowledge of Jewish heritage and the long struggles of her people and angels would have been a well known fact in those stories. When I think of Mary I imagine her as a quiet and obedient daughter, a friend to everyone in her village, a helper, a devout woman of faith and someone who loved and feared God, believed in Him as creator of all things. I also think she probably never wanted to stand out, she enjoyed her life and was humbled to serve God in whatever situation God placed her in. The Bible tells us, Mary was “highly favored” by God. “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%201:28&version=NIV
Truly, Mary is Blessed! You and I are also blessed.
• Blessed to know this story
• Blessed to be a part of this continuing story
• Blessed to share this story
• Blessed because we were created by God, made with a purpose and are LOVED by God.
Carry the word BLESSED with you today as you navigate your way through life, be reminded that you too are BLESSED and are a blessing to someone.
I am honored, humbled and BLESSED to be able to share my thoughts with you and I am thankful for your support.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to grasp the wonder of your coming. Amen.
~Peace and Blessings~
References:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_the_Father%27s_Heart_Begotten
https://hymnary.org/text/of_the_fathers_love_begotten#Author
HOPE SEEKER 
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