December 20th - Luke 1:38

Luke 1:38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” We know the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth so well that we often have to work really hard to imagine how completely incredible this moment was for Mary. She was probably a teenager, and may well never have travelled outside of the rural Galilee region where she was born. The news that she was going to have a baby was shockingly at every level. She was a virgin, and having a baby was therefore a complete impossibility. But she listened attentively to the angel’s words and is assured that, crazy as this all sounded, nothing is impossible with God. Her response was extraordinarily impressive. She describes herself as the Lord’s servant and accepted the future that God had chosen for her. To be a servant would normally be seen as demeaning. We probably instinctively think of Downton Abbey, and the way that servants, living below stairs, were given all the heavy, dirty and difficult work to do so that a few people could live lives of incredible luxury. Being a servant doesn’t sound remotely attractive. But Mary recognized that it had all had to do with who you were serving - and to be a servant of the Lord was the highest privilege of all. Mary’s story might feel utterly remote from your life. But it isn’t. Today, God invites all of us to be his servants and he wants us to see that this is the highest privilege of life. It doesn’t get better than this – not for Mary and not for us. Question – What does it mean for you to be the servant of the Lord today? Prayer – Thank you Lord that because of your love for me you invite me to be your servant. Help me to be like Mary and to joyfully embrace the future that you have for me. Amen