The Impossible // Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He 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, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

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

35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Footnotes:

Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,

Words, phrases that stood out:

*** "...his kingdom will never end."; verse 33: I realize this passage has a pseudo-Christmas/Advent feel, but why not address it whenever? I have more thoughts on some other parts of this passage, but for some reason this truth about Christ's kingdom never ending provides me encouragement. Jesus is not only "was" but also "is" and "WILL BE". Awesome...

*** "...the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God."; verse 35: The footnote here tells us that the word holy may be used here again interchangeably with Son of God. Holy, to my understanding, means something like set apart , something so "other", so not us, so high above. This is important as I realize that Jesus was so much more than just some nice teacher with good philosophies, so much more than just a very enlightened man. Jesus is holy. Set apart. Something so other that he can only be deity himself. God himself with human flesh. This is such a curiosity to me and I know to others, and the concept of Jesus being God in the flesh is just so impossible to many. But if Jesus isn't these things...then in my eyes, why bother with it at all? Thankfully the story and proof of his divine nature continues on after this phrase was spoken...

*** "37For nothing is impossible with God.": What a thing to know and remember. Not just this charge to Mary, as she was to be the vessel used by God miraculously to bring the Savior into the world, but for us as we realize the Impossible that God is. And I don't think that is a bad thing to label God as "impossible", because to me it doesn't mean that the existence of God is an impossible thing, but instead that God so often (in scripture and beyond) works in the realm we humans call "impossible!" Impossible is where God shines most...and I need to a) be open to the mysteries of God I cannot explain and cling to them and b) trust and believe that God can accomplish the impossible in my own life. I know too well the times my faith was at a low point because I just couldn't see how God would make something happen...but he did.

*** 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said.": What a legacy of faith Mary leaves us with. She has just heard something impossible, and instead of going "yeah, whatever", she pledges to serve the Lord, and is "cool" with whatever is in store. I know that is often my struggle, to sense that God may be telling/showing me something, no matter how "out there", and say, "It's cool, Lord...do what you will and I'll be here!" We so easily bail on God in the name of something not fitting our criteria, or being what we "want", or not fitting into our perfect plans. I know that I, at least, need to continue seeking to have this attitude that Mary exhibits toward God in such a heavy moment...

Questions for me today:

What are the things of God that I still label impossible? What things in my life do I know are true, really did happen, etc., that I can only attribute to God that others may label as impossible?