Christmas Traditions
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. …. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:35, 37, 38
Unbelievable! That would be the natural reaction to the kind of news which Mary heard when the angel appeared to her. He had brought her news about the upcoming, promised birth of the Savior of the world! “How can this be?” That had been her question. That would be anybody’s question.
The angel explained to her how this would be. This child would be brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her son Jesus would be the Son of God, true God Himself. The angel also told her of how her cousin Elizabeth would soon be giving birth to John the Baptist at her advanced age.
Both of these things would normally be not just hard to believe, but impossible to believe. However, God makes all things possible! Mary believed the news of the angel. She said: “Let it be to me according to your word.” She trusted that what God had promised, He would bring to pass.
You and I also believe what our Lord tells us in His Word about the birth of our Savior. We confess in our worship that Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” Many would say “unbelievable!” Yet, we know that it is true. All of the Bible is true. What would seem impossible, what would be impossible, we believe as true, for our God has told us so.
As we meditate during this Advent season on the miracle of God coming to earth to save us, may we continue to believe all that our God tells us! Amen.
Savior of the nations, come, Virgin’s Son, make here Thy home!
Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth. Amen.
The Lutheran Hymnal 95:1