After giving surprising news to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they, a barren elderly couple, going to have a son who will be a great prophet, the Angel Gabriel a few months later visits Mary. Mary is teenager living in Nazareth, a backwater town that barely makes it onto the map. Mary is betrothed, but her wedding to Joseph is months away. The Angel of God has another shocker: Mary is miraculously going to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. What’s more, Joseph isn’t going to be the father! You probably know the rest of the story, but even if so, I’m going to pause right there and ask you to consider some thoughts about Mary:
Have we evangelicals taken Mary for granted out of our concern that others have elevated Mary? When is the last time that you thought about Mary? Is possible that we can and should learn much from her?
Think about it this way: why in the world would God pick a humble peasant from a no-name village to be the mother of the Messiah? What was it about this young lady? What can we learn about God through this?
The story of the Virgin Mary is compelling and astounding. Take a look at Luke 1:26-45 to prepare for this sermon about this amazing lady.