November 26th

Daily Readings

Isaiah 7:14

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Matthew 1:22-23

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

Luke 1:26-31

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.

Genesis 12:3

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 22:18

And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Matthew 1:1

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham

Romans 9:5

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

(Readings taken from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/ New Living Translation)

A Virgin Birth?

I have children, so I understand how fairytales capture our imaginations.

Fairytales captivate us!

As I ponder the reading today – I am struck with wonder considering the miracle that is the virgin birth. And honestly, it truly seems like the stuff of fairytales.

Mary. Just a girl. In a town of no importance. Informed by an angel that she has been chosen to carry the Saviour of humanity.

The unbelievers among us could be forgiven for considering this the piece that pushes the story too far.

Could it be?

Could you let your imagination go there with me today?

What did that moment feel like?

The God of the Universe, who had delivered messages to only a handful of people throughout the Old Testament, chose to wrap himself in flesh.

Fully God. Fully human.

Before we discount the Bible’s account as beyond possibility, let’s consider a few things.

The prophecy in Isaiah comes 700 years before the birth of Jesus. A strangely specific requirement for God to fulfill. Outrageous. In the exchange facilitated between the prophet and the King in Isaiah 7:11 we read, “Ask me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will crush your enemies as I have promised. Ask for anything you like, and make it as difficult as you want.”

Objective accomplished. A virgin birth.

I can’t think of anything Mary stood to gain by courageously announcing the virgin birth. She is either lying and deeply shamed by her community for conceiving before she is married in an ingrained patriarchal culture; or she is crazy because she believes she carries the Son of God within her womb.

Or…it is true.

The virgin birth stands outside of everything we know and understand about the created order of people and yet millions of Christians dare to believe in just that miracle.

And why not?

If the God who created the world can’t show up to us in supernatural ways – what kind of God is that?

Have you ever heard people make statements such as, “If God is truly real – why doesn’t He do something miraculous to prove His existence?”

The virgin birth, while challenging to reconcile, is just that miracle.

I am overwhelmed with wonder and awe.