“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail. ” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Come on y’all sing it with me!
We’re embarking on the Christmas holiday once again. Christmas decorations, people shopping for gifts, good food with family and friends. Typical for the Christmas season. As people of faith it is important that we remember that we are celebrating the birth of our savior. December 25th is not really His birthday, but the point is to honor Christ. Not some pagan holiday as some ascribe it to be.
We are talking about the Lord of Glory coming by way of virgin birth in a manger. Some may believe that there was something particularly special about Mary. I don’t think it’s that. I believe it was that her heart was pure. I think anyone with a heart and mind like Mary’s could have been in her position. God is no respecter of persons. I look at her response to the angel. She was open to receive what she believed the Lord had for her. Despite how crazy it may have sounded to her at the time.
Joseph handled this situation a certain way, because of his heart towards God. I think that is an important part of the story and for us as believers. Christmas is different for us than for those who are in the world. Yes we eat food, get together with family and buy gifts, but our focus should be to celebrate the savior.
Whether we believer or not we ought to allow Him to do what He did in Biblical times. Come into what can be a very dark place and bring the light of truth. As Christians let us renew our faith and continue to share the good new with others, so their hearts can be invaded.
Normally, we think of an invasion as a bad thing. You’re being taken over against your will. In this case we are welcoming in the Christ to radically change our hearts so we can glorify God and build the kingdom. As we allow Him to invade us and make us children of the light; we then invade the darkness of satan’s kingdom in this world to bring the light of the gospel. My prayer this Christmas is Lord invade our hearts for you glory!!
That leads us to our Throwback Song of the Week. It is from the 2004 Cross Movement Records Christmas compilation “Gift Rap”. The featured track is “Invasion Day” by Flame. Tune into the the Trackstarz show this week to hear DJ Jeremaya spin this for the Throwback Song of the Day. Until next time…
Merry Christmas,
Damo
