Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 203 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1
Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 203 of our Trek, and this week we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas as we hike the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday we were able to visit the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. It was all decorated for Christmas and so beautiful. It has become a tradition for Paula and me and is a nice day trip from our home.
With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…
Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1
I want to start off this podcast by doing an exercise. Not a physical exercise but a mental exercise. I want you to remember being 15 years old. What were you doing at 15? Fifteen is an awkward age, isn’t it? You are no longer a child yet you’re not quite an adult. Hormones are doing all sorts of weird things in your body. Peer pressure is especially important at that age, and so is testing the waters of life. Wanting to be independent is also important at that age.
Scholars tell us that 15 was about the age of Mary when the angel came and visited her and told her she would become pregnant. In all likelihood, she was between the age of 13 and 16. Our views on maintaining purity until marriage may be somewhat tainted in the world today, but the issue is not new. Put yourself in Mary’s position as a young teenager who loves God and views remaining pure until marriage as one of her top priorities. She was already pledged to Joseph for marriage. If you were that age and received news like this, how would you respond? Let’s look and see how Mary did. The story of Mary is found in the book of Luke Chapter [1:26]-56. It is a rather long passage but crucial to learn the entire story of Mary.
· The Birth of Jesus Foretold
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.
· Mary Visits Elizabeth
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.”
· The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise
Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
Can you imagine all that must have been going through Mary’s mind? She went to her cousin Elizabeth, who was the wife of a priest. After she had met with her, Mary was able to sing a song of praise for being chosen to be the physical mother of the savior of the world.
For our story today and tomorrow, I would like for us to look at three characteristics of Mary. We will look at the first one today:
1. Mary’s Hosanna
(Mary’s Song of Praise and Adoration)
Mary’s response is a song of praise to God. It was a verbal offering from her heart through her words to a Holy God. Let’s read our focal verses again and notice where the focus lies, not on Mary but on God. The focus of the virgin birth is not on Mary but on the power of God. If we were to take out a magnifying glass and examine our focal verse, we would see nothing less than a song of praise to God. We would see adoration. We would see exaltation and pure praise to the Father. This is truly a song of worship. This is truly a song of praise.
I have heard it said that if the only thing God has done in our lives is to save us, we should praise God from the rising of the sun through the darkness of the night. But He has done so much more for us than that. He has given you the sense of taste so that you can enjoy your favorite food. Praise God. He has given you the sense of smell so you can enjoy flowers or bread baking in the oven. Praise God. He has given you the sense of humor so you can enjoy laughter. Praise God.
What a beautiful story of fear that was turned to praise and then to hope that the long-awaited savior of the world was about to arrive. Mary the ordinary, humble servant was chosen to be the vessel in which God would use to fulfill His plan of redemption. When we become fearful, let us remember that God is in control and will use us to fulfill his plan for our world. We can live a legacy each day that will impact the world. What an awesome thought! Let us be willing to be open for whatever God has in His plan for us and to be humble to allow Him to work through us. Tomorrow we will explore Mary’s humbleness and hope. You won’t want to miss it, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!