Hope Reached Out to You
There’s no record of it — but I imagine it was something like this: sunshine filling the space, holy silence following his words, distant sounds mingling in the air, her hands shaking in awe. There she stood, receiving the first words from God in 400 years, and they weren’t just any words! The Messiah was coming.
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin … And he came to her and said … ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob, forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’” – Luke 1:30-33
Beyond what Mary could have imagined, and the Jewish nation anticipated, a Messiah was coming to set the captives free. God was reaching out to the world through his son, and even at the cost of everything, he came. Our prayer and hope this Christmas season are that we would all reach out to more of the 800,000. But today, before you step out and reach, we hope you remember how God first reached you. A hope that never diminishes and never tires has a hold on you. Today, be in awe of that first Christmas, of what it meant for Mary to hear that a Messiah was coming and what it means that a Messiah has come and his name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.