Jesus' name and yours
Daily Scripture
Luke 1:26-56
During Lent, we are using short videos to share a daily idea (linked to the gospel of Luke) on how to grow spiritually. Watch today’s video. Click here or on the image below:
Note: We are reading the entire gospel of Luke in the GPS. Some day’s readings are longer than usual. We hope you’ll have an extra cup of coffee, or use your lunch break, and read Luke’s entire story of Jesus.
26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was 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.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”
38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
39 Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. 43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
46 Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
48 He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
49 because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
52 He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
55 just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Mary and Elizabeth’s culture saw them as second-class citizens. No human male (let alone an angel) would have said to a woman like Mary, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” They were living examples that God lifts up the lowly—a childless older woman and a single teen from a backwater town given key roles in God’s saving plan.
- Elizabeth affirmed and cheered Mary with God-given insight. She somehow knew Mary’s child was uniquely great. Elizabeth was, it seems, the first person to call Jesus “Lord”: “Why do I have this honor, that the mother of MY LORD should come to me?” (verse 43) When has someone given you a lift by noticing God’s work in your life? Who can you affirm and cheer today?
- How did verse 58 describe the caring, supportive network that surrounded Elizabeth and Zechariah? Who enters into your joys, and supports you when you encounter challenges? How well are you able to enter into others’ joy or pain and support them in return?
Click Here or the image below for a special message from COR Worship Collective.
Prayer
Lord God, you worked out your plan through ordinary people like Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary. That gives me hope. I’m ready to follow you in whatever you have in mind for me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Janelle Gregory
If I were to ask you, “In what way was Mary used by God to carry out his mission of redemption?” My guess is that you’d answer, “She gave birth to Jesus.” Ding, ding, ding! You’d be correct! Gold star for you! When Mary was yet a virgin, she was impregnated by God to carry the Savior of the world. Well done!
Okay, now in what other way was Mary used by God to carry out his mission of redemption? You might be thinking something like, “Well, she not only gave birth to Jesus, but she also raised him.” Ding, ding, ding! Right again! You’re 2 for 2. Question 3: In what OTHER way was Mary used by God to carry out his mission of redemption? “She was there for Jesus as he was put to death on the cross.” Ding, ding, ding! You’re good! How about this one: In what OTHER way was Mary used by God to carry out his mission of redemption? “Hmmm,” I hear many of you thinking. “Now it’s getting harder. Where is she going with this?”
When we read about Mary, we’re in awe of the miracle that happened inside of her. God in flesh was formed within her womb. It’s quite easy to point to the birth of Christ as one of the most important moments in the history of ALL TIME. This pinnacle of the story of redemption happened through this one woman. Yet while the immaculate conception, birth, and rearing of Christ are the most noteworthy acts of Mary’s, they aren’t the only ways she was used by God to carry out his mission of redemption. I’d have to believe that on ordinary days in quite simple ways, Mary was being used by God. Perhaps she helped her neighbors who ran out of food. She may have demonstrated great patience to the cranky man a few houses down. She could have encouraged the sick woman at the market. While these aren’t the stories that make the history books, they all played a part in how God carried out his redemptive story through her life.
I think it’s easy for us to forget that God can use us in ways outside of grand gestures to share his love and light in this world. There may be times when you’re asked to make sacrifices, to step out of your comfort zone, to do something beyond what you’d ever imagine doing. God can absolutely move within and through you during these times. But God also invites you to be a part of his gospel in ways that will never make the news. I’m often reminded of God’s presence through the simplest of acts – a kind word from others, the friend who shows up just when I need her, or the mercy I’m given when I’m short with my husband. It’s the little things. We don’t have to make a big splash to be used by God. We just have to be willing to let our heart be transformed so that in our everyday actions, we’re being used to carry out God’s mission of redemption.
