Mary, Did You Know

Editor’s Note: During the next few days articles here will weave in and out of the Christmas theme.

by Clarke Dixon

How would you have responded to such surprising news? Or even the shock of an angel speaking to you in the first place? A baby will be on the way, a little baby, but a huge surprise! Even more surprising, a man will not be involved in conception! Keep in mind Mary was possibly somewhere between thirteen to fifteen years of age according to Bible scholars. How would you have responded to this news at that age? How would you have responded if you were her Mum or Dad? Perhaps there is a reason she “set out and went with haste” (Luke 1:39) to see Elizabeth. Perhaps she would understand. Who else could Mary turn to with such a big and crazy sounding surprise?

Did Mary even grasp grasp what was really going on? Did she really understand what the angel was saying to her?

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. Luke 1:30-31

No mention of a virgin conception just yet, however the name “Jesus” would have set off bells for Mary. The name “Jesus” is the equivalent of the Hebrew name “Joshua” which means “God rescues.” Perhaps this child will be involved in a rescue somehow. Perhaps this child will be like Moses. Would Mary have grasped how much greater a rescue would happen through Jesus than the rescue of Israel through Moses? The angel continues:

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, . . . Luke 1:32

Could Mary have known just how great Jesus would become? Would she have been able to guess the profound impact of Jesus? “He will be great” would turn out to be the understatement of the ages.

. . . and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:32-33

This must have set Mary’s heart racing, although I’m sure it was beating fast enough by this point. God had been promising that someone would sit on the throne of David, the Messiah, the Christ to use the Greek term. Could it be that Mary has been chosen to give birth to the promised Messiah?! What a surprise!

But there is an even bigger surprise to come:

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34

“Joseph is on his way to marry you sooner than you thought” would be surprising but not unreasonable. But no, there is a much bigger surprise in store for Mary:

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. Luke 1:34-35

This will be a virgin conception, in fact something better, a God-conception! This has never happened before! This child must be something, or rather, someOne special indeed. This is the idea behind “holy” which means “set apart, different.” Was Mary aware of just how holy her child would be?

We should note here that the people of God were expecting God to return, and for God to send them a messiah. They were expecting it to be much like God coming to rescue Israel from Egypt, using Moses. They were not expecting God Himself to be the Messiah. This, however, is what the God-conception was pointing to. This was a huge surprise for everyone! While Isaiah 7:14 seems to prophesy a virgin birth, Biblical scholars point out that the original Hebrew often simply means “young woman” and that no one was really expecting a virgin birth to occur based on this prophecy, certainly not Mary.

Did Mary really “get it”? Would Mary have been aware that “Son of the Most High” meant much more than that her baby would have a special relationship with God? That the “Son of God” she was to carry was actually “God the Son”? Keeping in mind the age and education of Mary, would she have been thinking “this must be what future theologians will call the incarnation”? Not likely.

You have likely heard the song “Mary, Did You Know?” written by Mark Lowry. Here is the final stanza:

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
Is the Great I Am

Oh Mary did you know?

Did Mary really know Who her son really was? Did she get it? Do we? Do we get the big surprise God has for us?

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The Bible uses the same language here for the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit, as it does for Mary conceiving Jesus. Mary had the awesome privilege of carrying God the Son. We have the awesome privilege of carrying God the Holy Spirit:

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 3:16

Mary had the surprising privilege of being the mother of the Son of God. We have a surprise privilege too, of becoming the children of God:

And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:6

Do we really know? Do we really know the amazing wonderful and surprising privilege that is ours in Christ?

How did Mary respond to God’s little BIG surprise?

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Mary submitted and committed to the surprise from God. We can too.

This last verse has often been used to preach on obedience, which leads us to think of rules of course. But the focus here is on the promise of God. Mary’s obedience was to say “yes” to the promises of God. Are we obedient like Mary? Have you and are you saying “yes” to God’s promises? When we say “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word” what we are submitting to is:

• the promise of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
• the promise of the Holy Spirit coming upon us birthing something new in is!
• the promise of God’s presence.
• the promise that we will be God’s witnesses.
• the promise of eternal life.

How would you have responded to the surprising news if you were in Mary’s shoes? How do you respond to the surprising news in your own?

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Clarke Dixon is a pastor in Ontario, Canada. All scripture references are NRSV.

Check out Clarke’s blog, Sunday’s Shrunk Sermon. Portions of today’s devotional were pre-recorded! Listen to the original 23 minute sermon.

Ring of Authority

^{Haggai 2: 23} “‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

^{Matthew 28:18} Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

In the first verse above, the Lord grants authority Zerubbabel the authority to act in his name.  But the verse in Matthew is a reminder that authority rests in Christ alone, and that as we go and make disciples we go under the authority of Christ.

The Encylopedia of the Bible states:

The signet was used to impress its owner’s signature on various seals and documents. The ring was pressed into a soft substance, thus leaving the mark of the ring on the seal permanently. Some of these rings were made of precious metals and jewels.

Their use dates back to the Egyptians and Babylonians. Some signets were worn around the neck, others on the finger. Many examples of such signets have been found in Egypt and Babylonia. See Seal.

At the blog FaithChurchOnline, it’s pointed out that the signet ring’s equivalent in our day might be the seal of the Holy Spirit

The impression of the signet ring on a document was how a contract was sealed to be permanently binding. Just as the Lord chose Zerubbabel as His signet ring seals it, so has the Lord gave you, as a believer in Christ Jesus, the permanent seal of ownership with His Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph.1:13). If you are a believer, the Lord has marked you as His own forever!

I could not help but be reminded of the modern hymn, Freely, Freely:

God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name.
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his love as he told me to.

He said ‘Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.

All pow’r is giv’n in Jesus’ name
in earth and heav’n in jesus name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his pow’r as he told me to.

He said ‘Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.

God gives us life in Jesus’ name
he lives in us in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his peace as he told me to.

The blog FreshRead provides more detail on the choosing of Zerubbabel in context:

A signet ring was a way to sign documents – a king or governor would have a uniquely designed symbol the would be on a ring, and that would be applied to a wax seal to make an impression. Hence a document or decree was “signed and sealed.”

It was valuable, and could be entrusted to another to use “in the name of” the actual owner.

Background to this text is important.  In Jeremiah 22:24-30 the next to last King of Judea, Jehoiachin is said to be rejected, as if the Lord removed him like a signet ring and tossed him away.  The end of the passage says  that no descendant of his will sit on the throne.

So when his grandson Zerubbabel is given this message, it is a reversal of the judgment previously given.

Christians would read that as the nature of the Gospel – the curse is reversed.  There was nothing in particular about Zerubbabel to merit the restoration – it would seem to be grace not merit.

Who We Are In Christ

Today’s thoughts — and suggested song — are from the blog Weeping Into Dancing. (She began with the song, but we inverted the order.) The post at source — and this blog came recommended so I hope you click through — was called Remind Me of Who I Am.

Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness in to his wonderful light.

Dear Reader,
Do you ever ask God the following question? “Who am I to You?”

The Word tells us that we are many things to God, all of which are important, useful, and precious in His sight. Let’s begin with the awesome realization that we are the adopted children of the Most High, thanks to  the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Yes the one and only God, the Creator of the universe is our Father!  That makes us royalty. Princes and princesses, every little girls dream come true. A kingdom, treasure, and highways paved with gold all come with the deal of being adopted into His family. Best of all, we get to interact with an Almighty King who loves us and wants to know us intimately.

A child of God, Check! Royalty, Double Check! Now consider the scripture verse I placed at the top of this post.  We are called a CHOSEN PEOPLE. That means you were preordained to be a part of God’s holy family. You have many brothers and sisters and more will be joining our spiritual family too. The time has not yet arrived when all whom He as preordained truly know Him as their Beloved.

Since we don’t want one family member, friend, wounded soul, or stranger to miss out on joining our family, we must hold on for a bit longer. He has already chosen them but they need a bit more convincing to lay aside the old for the new (so keep praying for the lost) What a gift it is to be a part of the people belonging to God!

The verse also calls us a Royal Priesthood. We are given the responsibility to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:5) How then are we to offer “spiritual sacrifices” up to God? One way is by singing His praises with a thankful heart, even when every bone in our bodies is depressed and we don’t FEEL very happy or thankful. Leaving a comfortable and successful path in order to pursue a deeper and more meaningful life serving God is also a spiritual sacrifice. Trusting Him with our futures when the path is fuzzy and unclear qualifies and so does forgiving those who have wounded us.

We wounded individuals; a motley crew of social class, education, backgrounds, and survivors of many different hardships are united by the Love of one God!  He no longer calls us servants but friends, because a servant does not know the Master’s business. Yes,  you and I are His friend.  Jesus is teaching us everything He learned from God.  He is making all of His knowledge known to us, so we better listen up!

There are so many more ways you are connected and special to God. For now, I will close with the fact which states that we His workmanship. This is critical because I know there are many of you reading this post and feeling like you are worthless, untalented, ugly, unworthy, unforgivable, or hopeless and beyond repair, or of any use.

Hear me Dear Reader!!!!!! GOD DOES NOT CREATE JUNK! I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE AND I WILL IT SAY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. HE MADE YOU AND YOU ARE PERFECT IN HIS EYES. He is the master craftsman. You are a work of art, unique and valuable…priceless.

Isn’t it time you start seeing yourself as God’s ROYAL ADOPTED CHILD, FRIEND, WORKMANSHIP, MEMBER OF A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, CHOSEN AND DEARLY BELOVED, AND A TREASURE AS DEUTERONOMY 7:6 REMINDS US.

DEUTERONOMY 7:6  For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.

EPHESIANS 2:10  
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

EPHESIANS  1:4-5  
For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-

JOHN 15:15  
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his Master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.

When I lose my way and I forget my name
Remind me who I am
In the mirror all I see
Is who I don’t wanna be,
Remind me who I am.
In the loneliest places,
When I can’t remember what grace is…..

TELL ME ONCE AGAIN
WHO I AM TO YOU, WHO I AM TO YOU.
TELL ME LEST I FORGET WHO I AM TO YOU.
THAT I BELONG TO YOU.

When my heart is like a stone,
And I’m running far from home,
Remind me who I am.
When I can’t receive Your love,
Afraid I’ll never be enough,
Remind me who I am.

If I’m Your beloved, Can You help me believe it?
TELL ME ONCE AGAIN WHO I AM TO YOU.
WHO I AM TO YOU
LEST I FORGET THAT I
BELONG TO YOU.

Maybe You Still Don’t Get It

Steven Furtick, author of Sun Stand Still (Waterbrook) and pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina is another one of those people qualified to wear the label, “intentional.”  On his blog, he’s been doing a series, “Signs You Still Don’t Get It;” and again, in the interests of getting material actually seen while knowing people don’t click, I’ve assembled in a single post here, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.  [Note: You might want to click through as there are additional resources linked there.]

To read the text in a larger font, hold down Ctrl and press “+” sign.

“Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?     – Matthew 16:9

There are some things that we just have to learn the hard way. The disciples of Jesus knew this better than anyone.

Two times in the previous two chapters Jesus had provided a miraculous supply of food for a hungry crowd. Here in chapter 16 Jesus tells them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. The disciples freak out because they didn’t bring any bread and they think Jesus is hungry and needs them to supply food.

They still don’t get it.

We could be judgmental, but the truth is that there are things that are just as elementary that you and I still don’t get. And it’s these things that keep us in a state of inertia in our walk with God and the calling He has placed on our lives.

So I thought it’d be good … to address some of the top signs that indicate that we still don’t get it. Confront the elementary things that are keeping us from launching into a whole new dimension in our relationship with God…

1. You still feel unworthy to come to God when you fail.
You sin and think there needs to be a grace period before you can pray for forgiveness. You completely blow it and think there’s no way God can use you again. Your days are done. Your destiny disqualified. Might as well sit around and sulk in your self-condemnation.

This really comes down to one thing: you still don’t understand grace.

We often think the grace of God is just a commodity to get us to the point of salvation. But we don’t understand that the same grace that brought us to the point of salvation is also with us in our daily lives. The same power that raised you from the grave of your sin is the same power that raises you from the mistakes of your everyday life.

Proverbs 24:16 says, “The righteous man falls down seven times, but seven times, he rises again.”

That’s not what comes to our minds when most of us think of a righteous person. We think they’re someone who never or rarely falls. But that’s because our idea of righteousness is rooted in self-righteousness. The real righteous person is the one who has been made righteous by Jesus and then can let Jesus pick him back up when up when he falls.

There’s a big difference between falling down (Peter) and falling away (Judas). Grace means God’s got your back. Like Peter, your failure is not final.

Get back up. Go to back to God. No, you’re not worthy. But neither were you worthy when you came to God the first time. It was Jesus’ worthiness that made you worthy then.

What makes you think the terms of acceptance have changed?

2. You’re still waiting for God’s will to “fall into place.”

• You’re still waiting for God to bring the right man or woman into your life.

• For the perfect job to come along.

• For…

And in the meantime you’re not doing much of anything about it.

• You’re hanging out in your basement.

• You’re begrudgingly going about your present job.

You’re going to be waiting for a long time. Not because God doesn’t want to bring the right person into your life. Or the job you’ve been created for. Or anything else He wants for you. But because God’s will isn’t a matter of waiting. And it rarely falls into place all at once.

When you think about the will of God for your life, think less in terms of a big bang and more in terms of small sparks that lead to a large fire. It’s a matter of doing what you should be doing and letting God continually move you forward into what He wants you to be doing.

A lot of times we spend our greatest effort trying to uncover the mysteries of the parts of God’s will that we don’t understand rather than obeying the part of God’s will that we do understand.

And that’s His Word. When all else fails, God’s Word is His will.

So from the examples above:

• It’s always God’s will for you to become the kind of man or woman that will be the husband or wife of someone else’s dreams.

• It’s always God’s will to do all of your work as unto the Lord.

So start doing those things. And then trust God to use your present obedience to move you closer to your future assignments.

If you’re single, stop waiting for God to bring you the right person and start running after God with everything you’ve got. When you see someone running alongside of you, you’ll know God’s will has “fallen into place.” And while you’re at it, clean yourself up, put some product in your hair, and join the greeter team at your church.

Stop waiting for the perfect job to come along and start perfecting the job that you have. That way when the perfect job “falls into place,” you’ll be ready for it.

We don’t have to waste time wondering when and how God’s will is going to fall into place. Obedience that is active is way better than passive reflection. We find direction from God while we’re on the move. We know as we go. We set out and then God shows up.

We know God’s will by doing God’s will.

3. You’re still driven by the approval and affirmation of others.

You’ve made yourself believe:

• If I get another promotion.

• If I buy another pair of shoes.

• If I have sex with another person.

• If I do another favor.

• If I lose another size…

…They will approve of me.

Or:

• If he would just tell me I’m beautiful.

• If my husband would just notice me.

• If my coworkers would just acknowledge my contribution.

• If anyone would just affirm who I am and what I do…

…My life would be complete. My life would have meaning.

But it’s not true. The affirmation you want will always be just beyond you. The approval you crave will only last for a moment. You’ll have the thing you thought you needed, but you won’t feel the peace you thought you’d feel. And as I’ve said before, he who lives by the approval of others will die by the absence of the same.

Many people spend most of their lives trying to achieve the approval that can only be received. Stop trying to chase down from people what God has already given to you in Jesus. Instead live life with the knowledge that in Jesus, you’re already affirmed. You’re already approved of.

When you have the approval of your Father, you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.

4. You’re still trying to put God first.
I know, it sounds weird. Shouldn’t this be the exact thing you should still be trying to do?

On the surface, of course we should. Jesus is supreme over everything. He is first in importance. And so in that sense, we should always be trying to put Him first in our lives.

But my question is, what does this actually look like when you get down to the grind of everyday life? For example, what does it even mean to put Jesus first before my family? Do I ignore my family to spend more time with Jesus? Or with my career, do I stop working to put Jesus first?

In many people’s honest attempt to put God first in their lives, they end up segregating Jesus from the different priorities of their lives. And this is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants. He doesn’t just want to be first before your priorities. He wants to be first in them. The center of them.

• Don’t worry about putting God first, then your family. Put God first in your family.

• Or God first, then your career. Put God first in your career.

• Or God first, then your finances. Put God first in your finances.

If you do that, you won’t have to worry about trying to put God first in your life. He already will be. The thing that is at the center of your life is the thing that is ultimately first in your life.

~Pastor Steven Furtick

• I encourage you to become a regular reader of Steven’s blog