Thursday, December 14, 2017

Advent Day 12 ~ Rejoice


Today's word is rejoice.

"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.” 
Luke 1:26-33
Mary's story in the Bible is the Christmas story. Yet is is also an example of a woman who rejoices in the Lord. We get the impression that, even before an angel of the Lord appears to tell her she will give birth to the Messiah, that Mary's was a faith-full life of rejoicing in the Lord. The angel's first words to her are that she is highly favored by God. She is chosen for this great task because of her highly favored status. To receive such a great compliment and responsibility, she must have had a great faith. We see this great faith displayed in Mary's response to the angel:
"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Out of her great faith in God, the great favor He has expressed to her, and this great privilege and responsibility He has bestowed on her, Mary rejoices. Her song expresses that rejoice:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation."
Luke 1:46-50

As we draw closer to the celebration of the Messiah's birth, may we follow Mary's example and live a life of rejoicing the Lord.

My journal pages for today:







The Advent Words 2017 prompts and Scripture reading calendar can be found in this post or in the Facebook group.

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