Jesus' Lineage - Preparing For Christmas Series #1Beispiel

### Messiah would be Born of a Virgin Thoughts on the Passage We have followed the promise of the Messiah down through the ages.  It starts with God’s promise to Eve and then winds its way through Abraham, Judah, king David, and the simple town of Bethlehem.  Now, we come to another woman – Mary.  She is probably a teenager and is given the greatest announcement any young woman could receive.  She will be the mother of the Messiah promised by God through the centuries.  She is unmarried – and that also means that she will bear the brunt of many cruel remarks from people in her village.  Still, she chooses to receive God’s plan for her life. When we look at this today, we see how easy it is to misunderstand what God is doing in other people.  It can appear so wrong – and yet God knows what He is doing.  It can be difficult not to try to defend ourselves, but rather bear the humiliation in silence.  Mary does that – and there are times God will call us to do it as well, even as we bear a special gift from Him. Time to Pray Father, first I ask for the heart to receive every gift that You have for me.  Some may be wonderful, and some may bring a lot of pain or misunderstanding.  I ask for the strength and joy to receive them all with the same grace and heart of thanksgiving.  Second, I ask for Your heart when I see others going through the same challenges.  I ask for an understanding heart when You do things in their lives that I do not understand.  I want to be someone that they can come to for help and not someone they hide from because I reject them or the path You have asked them to walk.  In Jesus’ Name Amen.