12/17/15- The People of Jerusalem in Advent

12/17- The People of Jerusalem Mt. 2:3
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 

Thoughts: The people of Jerusalem reacted to the news.  They were “disturbed” or “troubled” (KJV).  It bothered them that perhaps another king was born.  The status quo was disrupted, and they also doubtless knew Herod wouldn’t let anyone get in his way.  But there is no indication that these “troubled” people bothered to check it out.  It was about 22 miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.  The three kings could travel over 600 miles to find a foreign king to them, but there is no record that one person traveled 22 miles to see if their own king was born.   Let it not be said of us that we would not travel a few miles in a warm car to go to a safe warm sanctuary to visit our king.  Later the people of Jerusalem were disturbed again and cried out, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”  Perhaps if they had responded to Christ earlier (at his birth and in his ministry) they would not have had such a hard time at his end.  The people ended up turning into types of terrorist trying to crucify the innocent. 

Prayer: Lord, keep me from not caring about you.  Help me not to be bothered by your existence but to crave and desire your presence in my life. 

Song: Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright;  Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.  Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!

12-6-13 Mary

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)

Thoughts: Mary was amazing in that she was young but was trusting in God in a difficult situation.  She could have been stoned for adultery (for who would believe in a pregnant virgin?) or shunned by her family and friends.  Mary was willing to lose her life to save it.  She was willing to serve God whatever it took.  We could learn from her ability and strength.  Zechariah said, "How can I know that I will have a child- I am so old?"  His was a questioning of God's ability. Mary was asking a question of the mechanics of how.  But she did not doubt that if God said it could happen, it could happen.
     The angel tried to reassure her by saying (verse 37), "no word from God will ever fail" pointing to the reliability of God's promises.  The 1984 NIV translated this "Nothing is impossible with God." This is a much stronger translation and fits with the context of God's doing what is humanly impossible. As a grown man, Jesus believed the angel's message saying, "With man this is impossible, but nothing is impossible with God."   Mary trusted God in an impossible situation- with her reputation and life at stake.
She sets us a great example of faith and trust in God.  

Prayer: Help me to trust you, Lord in thick and thin.  Help me to believe that nothing is impossible with you.