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The Spirit’s power in Jesus' birth

September 16, 2024
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Daily Scripture

Matthew 1:18-21, Luke 1:28–41

Matthew 1
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 1
28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”
38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
39 Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Daily Reflection & Prayer

Matthew and Luke both began Jesus’ story with a remarkable announcement. “Matthew refers to the unexplainable exercise of God’s creative power. Clearly, Joseph isn’t Jesus’ biological father (see Matthew 1:25).” * “[Luke’s] two phrases Holy Spirit and power of the Most High both refer to God’s presence. Come over you and overshadow you: parallel terms for God’s approach (see Acts 1:8; 5:15-16). Luke carefully picks words that don’t have sexual overtones.” ** The Holy Spirit brought God into our world in a surprising way–not as a powerful ruler, but as a baby born to ordinary people.

  • In her culture, Mary was likely in her mid-teens when the angel Gabriel unfolded a task she couldn’t (and we can’t) fully understand. When have you faced unexpected news or challenges? How did you respond? How does Mary’s response (verse 38) speak to your heart? Are you willing to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading, even when that calls for trust that reaches beyond full intellectual understanding?
  • The angel greeted Mary with, “Rejoice, favored one!” That didn’t mean ease and comfort. Mary’s “favored” life brought huge challenges—explaining her pregnancy to her fiancé and (probably) her parents, and finally a day at the foot of a cross watching the Romans kill her son. How can you become more attentive to God’s presence and guidance every day? What might change if you approached each day with the expectation that God could use you in extraordinary ways?
Prayer

Holy Spirit, Mary’s mission was a one-of-a-kind event in history. Give me an openness to whatever more “ordinary” (yet vital) missions you call and direct me to live out for you. Amen.

GPS Insights

Picture of Katy Nall

Katy Nall

Katy Nall serves as the Program Director of Missions for Resurrection West. She is a mom of two and loves to be outside in the sunshine, especially if it involves mountains or ocean. She loves hiking, reading, learning, and connecting.

 

Sometimes something happens and it’s very easy to connect the dots on where God’s hand was in all of it. Being assigned the Scripture about the birth of Jesus just minutes after watching a baby born definitely seems like one of those moments! Here’s the full story:

Since our second date, my husband and I have known we wanted to help vulnerable children in foster care. Twelve years later, we felt the Holy Spirit moving our hearts to take those steps to become licensed foster parents. We even decided to move into a house that had an extra room so that we could take in a vulnerable child or two. Well, we had barely unloaded our final box from the moving truck when I received an email about a baby that needed a home. His mom is incarcerated, and they were desperate for a loving home where the baby could go after he was born. We had not even attended our first licensing class, but God had plans for us! This past Friday, we welcomed baby Michael to the world, and as soon as he’s ready, we will welcome him into our home.

As I read this story, I can’t help but relate a little bit to Mary and Joseph. We are taking a child into our home that is not our own, a gift and a mission from God in the form of a tiny, helpless baby boy. There are so many emotions that come with it. It is exciting to be bringing a baby into our home! We have had so much fun picking out baby clothes and our community has been so sweet and generous to provide so many of the things we need for him! At the same time, the situation is also tragic. To see this baby boy struggling with opiate withdrawal symptoms in the NICU, and to see a mother who must be separated from a baby who just recently was a part of her is absolutely gut wrenching. There is both fear of what will happen in the future, and hope for what could be! Mary and Joseph must have felt all these things and more when God sent his own Son to be a part of their family. A poor carpenter from a small town and his pregnant fiancé were placed in charge of raising God’s child, the Messiah. Jesus was their responsibility to feed, keep warm, and rock to sleep. They must have felt simultaneously blessed and terrified!

On top of all of this, they knew, just like we know with Michael, that their time with this little miracle in the family is limited. Jesus grew up, and continued on to His mission and purpose to redeem the world. In just ten short months, Michael is to be reunited with his mom and leave our house for hers. Our job, just like Mary and Joseph’s, is to love this child as best as we can for as long as we can.

Overwhelmingly, when I think of our situation and the story of Jesus’s birth, I am left thinking that the most important thing is that when God calls us, we answer. God asks us to partner in His mission of love in the world. Mary and Joseph never thought that they would raise the savior of the world, but the staggering impact of their faith has been one of the most powerful events to have ever happened on earth. When God places opportunities for us to join in His mission and we say yes, you never know the profound impact that it will have! What has God been calling you to lately? What opportunities are in your life to partner with God? I pray that we as a church would be willing to say yes, and to embrace the adventure that God has for us!

© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References

* Eugene Eung-Chun Park and Joel B. Green, study note on Matthew 1:18 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 6 NT.
** Richard B. Vinson, study note on Luke 1:35 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 106 NT.