Welcome to Christmas, a magical time of year because we celebrate Christ. I know this season can stir up feelings that don’t feel like celebration for some. If you find yourself in a hard place this Christmas, I pray you feel God’s closeness even more. I pray the presence of Immanuel (God with us) overwhelm you with His love, hope, joy, peace, and goodness. I pray He ministers to you through the power of His Spirit.
And if you find yourself on top of life’s mountains, I pray you take time to thank Jesus for all the beauty He has brought into your life. I pray you are generous with your love and blessings out of the overflow of His goodness to you. May you bring light, hope, and love to those whom God brings across your path this Christmas season.
The Light of the World did that for us, so too should we for others.
But these things don’t happen of our own accord. Love, hope, joy, peace, goodness, and light come as a result of the power of the Holy Spirit. Generosity is a mindset He breeds in us. Courage is an attribute He calls out in us. It is through His deposit that we can carry out our high calling to love one another well.
The Holy Spirit prompts Christmas love. He always did. He always will.
He is evidenced in the story of Christ from the very beginning. Angels reassured Mary of His coming.
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. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38 NLT (Emphasis Mine)
Imagine being greeted by an angel (frightening enough in and of itself) and then being told you were going to birth the Son of God through the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High.
Think of Mary’s courage. Christmas not possible without it. An ordinary young woman made a difference in each of our eternal destiny, because she allowed the Holy Spirit to guide her.
One of the beautiful things I have found as I walk with Christ is the harder and higher our calling, the sweeter the intimacy with Him. And through that intimacy He speaks. When our calling is of extreme significance, I believe God goes out of His way to confirm for us that we are on the right track. The good news of following Christ is we can’t make a mistake. Notice I said following Christ. He won’t lead us astray, even if He has us traverse some difficult terrain from time to time.
If we’re not following the leading of the Holy Spirit, we’re bound to make mistakes.
Even as we follow, God knows we need reassurance. And He shows up, even as He’s always there. However, sometimes in His all-knowing way, God decides to turn up the volume of His presence. He gives Christmas reassurance in unexpected places.
A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:39-45 NLT (Emphasis Mine)
Baby John (the Baptist) was the fulfillment of prophecy. He would be the one to go in advance to proclaim Christ. John recognized divinity while still in his mother’s womb. And the Holy Spirit continued to fill His role in the Christmas story by providing encouragement to a virgin girl named Mary, 3 months pregnant, and likely afraid even as she was courageous. The Lord knew exactly the words Mary needed to hear and the Holy Spirit divinely inspired Elizabeth to speak words of encouragement and acknowledgement of Christ Jesus to her.
Notice the Holy Spirit’s words to Mary, that she was blessed because she believed.
When situations seem unusual they do require an extra measure of belief.
Faith in the Christmas story requires an extra measure of belief.
God blesses those who do.
Yes, with eternal life (John 3:16). But blessings here on earth too in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). One of the biggest blessings we have been given as believers is the deposit of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.
It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT
Just as Mary was encouraged by the Holy Spirit, we can be too. We can have the promise of Christmas – God alive inside of us that leads and guides us into His presence and into His love. Out of that overflow, we are empowered to extend Christmas love to others. The Holy Spirit enables us to do all things that God calls us to, even the hard things.
Without the hard things Mary cooperated with God for, we wouldn’t have Christmas.
The Holy Spirit birthed the beauty of Christmas in Mary. What does He desire to birth in you this Christmas season? After all, His story is our story.
Remember, favored woman! The Lord is with you!
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And don’t forget to check back with us to see what Jennifer and Kim have to say about the Story of Christmas.
Mary was such a brave and faithful woman. This is beautifully written, Tracy. Thank you for your sweet words.