God sent the angel Gabriel to the little town of Nazareth, a tiny insignificant village on the outskirts of Galilee. There, the angel found a young girl, who though not yet married, was betrothed to be married within the year. Not more than 14 years old, this young girl was a virgin named Mary.
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.”
And just like that, God bestowed his blessings onto Mary, not because she was special, or worthy, or asked for it, but simply because of his grace. Mary is the person who would be most close to God; she was chosen to carry the baby who would be Jesus. And she did this not because of anything she had accomplished which set her apart. She was no different than you and me. And that is the true meaning of Christmas. God loves you.
God doesn’t give us a set of rules to follow in order to gain his love. He loves us before we even know he is there. He blesses us whether we acknowledge it is from him or not. And he saves us through the power of his grace.
Grace, mercy, hope, love, in reality, none of us deserve any of them. But if God can give the most sacred job he was ever going to give anyone to a young unknown girl in a remote insignificant village, he will certainly bless and envelope in love the likes of you and me.
Bask in the grace and hope of Christmas, and know that you are loved.
