Mary, Mother of God

November 30

(Luke 2:5 NIV)  "He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child."

(Matthew 1:18-25 NIV)  "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. {19} Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. {20} But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. {21} She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." {22} All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: {23} "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." {24} When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. {25} But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Jesus came to us as the God-man. He serves as a model of humanity, as well as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. But the Son of God did not just magically show up. He was born of a woman who believed God. One human was chosen to provide Christ’s human nature, and through the Holy Spirit, become the mother of Immanuel, God with us. Mary was not perfect in the way God is perfect, but she was committed to purity and holiness. She was a virgin with a strong faith, and she was submissive to the will of God. To the casual observer, she would have looked like any ordinary, run of the mill young woman. But God saw something extraordinary in her -- something that, in His eyes, qualified her to be the mother of God. The Lord sees some extraordinary qualities in you as well, and by God’s Spirit and your faith, Christ can be born in you, and live in you. Believe God! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day