Advent Words ~ Word 6: Rejoice

 

Word 6: Rejoice

Mary

God, speaking through Isaiah, declared that there would be a sign of the coming Messiah:

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will be with child

and will give birth to a son,

and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

Mary's stroy begins in Luke 1:26-38. An angel of the Lord appears to her, a virgin who is pledged to be married to Joseph, and tells her,

"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and 

give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called

the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign 

over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:30-33

Mary questions how this can happen when she is a virgin, to which the angel responds,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon 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...For nothig is impossibe with God." 

Luke 1:35-37

Mary's to the angel with a response of faith;

"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38

She believed God would do all that He had promised. Her deep faith in God is evidenced in a life that rejoices in the Lord. She is an example to all of us in how to rejoice. Rejoicing is a response of faith. Rejoicing comes out of a life that is dependent on God and from one who knows firsthand the peace of God. 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.

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 in Luke 1:46-50, expresses her joy through praising God.

“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

We also can rejoice in the Lord now, despite all that is going on in the world around us. Rejoicing is not dependent on our circumstances or our feelings. Rejoicing is a response of faith. It is a choice to view life, not through the lens of our own perspective, but rather through the lens of our faith in Christ as we look through the lens of His Word. We also can stand on God’s promises, as Mary did. We can live hope-filled lives, rejoicing in the Lord based on our faith in who He is and what He has done for us.

 

As we celebrate Christ coming to earth, we can rejoice because He has promised that we will experience the fullness of our resurrection hope when He comes again. We rejoice in the gift of our Savior as we journey through the Advent season to Christmas. As Mary rejoiced in the gift of her Son, we rejoice in the many gifts God has given us through His Son - our greatest gift!

 

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4