She’s a Keeper

A Series on Advent
The hymns of Luke’s birth narrative: The Magnificat by Mary
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-56 

[In Luke’s Gospel, there are four songs sung by different individuals, or a group, that were involved in the story of Christ’s birth. In this series, we will look at the meaning of those songs, how the singer was involved in the birth story and what it means for us today.]

 

On September 14, 1974, my wife Debbie and I were married. We were young and in love. Debbie was beautiful in her wedding gown. She was the one for me. And, over the years my love for her has grown as I’ve learned that she was even more than I could have hoped for or expected. She’s a keeper!

 

Following the custom of her day, when Mary was probably between the ages of 12-14, she was betrothed to Joseph. She was a normal Jewish girl growing up in the small town of Nazareth of Galilee. Her future was pretty much mapped out for her. That is, until her life was turned upside down.

 

Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, came to her and gave her some startling news. Even though she was a virgin, he told her that she would conceive and give birth to a son who was to be named Jesus. He would be called the Son of God. The Lord would give him the throne of David. His Kingdom would never end!

 

At first, it was disturbing news for Mary because, as a poor young Jewish girl, she had no social status. This meant that if Joseph refused to marry her, then her father would have to take her into his home. And if he didn’t, then she would have to fend for herself by either begging or prostitution.

 

It was also disturbing because she was already betrothed. How would she tell Joseph? Who would believe her story of an angel? What would become of her and her baby? What would her friends and family think and say about her?

 

Despite having so much to lose, Mary said yes and emphatically embraced her call.  “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” 

 

Having been told by Gabriel that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant also, Mary decided to visit her. Elizabeth’s story was just as miraculous, as she had been childless and was now too old to have a baby.

 

When Mary greeted Elizabeth, her baby “leaped for joy within her”.

 

⁴² Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. ⁴⁵ You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”    NLT

 

In this meeting of the miracle moms, Mary responded in spontaneous song. Her hymn of praise is known as the Magnificat which is the opening word in the Latin translation. It means glorifies, or praise.

 

⁴⁶ Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. ⁴⁷ How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! ⁴⁸ For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.                        NLT

 

Mary continued her song with a litany of the Lord’s mighty deeds. With Old Testament themes of helping the poor and humble and casting down the proud and wealthy, she wove Scripture seamlessly into her song of praise.

 

Imagine God and Gabriel looking down at Mary and discussing her good traits as she sang. “She’s a keeper”, says Gabriel. “I know” says God. Mary believed that the Lord would do what he said. She trusted in his faithfulness; that nothing was impossible for the Lord.

 

^37 “For the word of God will never fail.”             NLT

 

Thanks be to God!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

A Baby Changes Everything

A Series on Living in the Wilderness: Part 2
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-56 

[This is Part 2 in a series of looking at people who lived in the wilderness. Not necessarily the wilderness of nature, but the wilderness of life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is faithful. That He loves you and is always with you.]

 

Getting married is one of those milestones of life that some people dream about for years. 

Every detail of the ceremony has to be perfect. Friends and family are invited to celebrate with you. Those same people bring gifts to help you get started on your new life together. It’s a beautiful celebration of love.

 

Mary, who was engaged to Joseph, may not have had all of those same hopes and dreams, but she most certainly wasn’t expecting to be visited by an angel. And definitely, was not expecting the message that he gave her.

 

³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”  NIV

 

On the surface, this is an amazing promise! But Mary’s mind must have been racing and reeling trying to figure out how she, a virgin, would have a child. How would she explain this to Joseph, her parents, her neighbors, her synagogue? Also, in that culture, an unfaithful woman, could be divorced, or even stoned to death!

 

A baby… changes… everything. Obviously, Mary didn’t know the specifics of how this would change her life, but she embraced it in faith.

 

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.            NLT

 

The angel left her. She was alone with this new knowledge. I would imagine that Mary must have had conflicting feelings of shame, confusion, fear, her life spinning out of control, doubt (did she really see an angel or, if she did, will his promise come true). Whatever she was feeling, she knew that her life would never be the same.

 

Because of this, Mary lived in a wilderness for nine months and likely longer. The wilderness of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, of escaping to Egypt, of the anger of Pharisees and religious leaders directed at her son and finally, of the crucifixion.

 

But in the beginning of living in that wilderness, Mary responded with these words.

 

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
⁴⁷     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
⁴⁸ For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me. NLT

 

There’s a song called “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill. It tells the story of how Mary may have felt about being a teenage girl that was unprepared for everything that was going to happen. But the final line is about how that baby changed the singer’s life.

 

My whole life has turned around
I was lost but now I'm found
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything

 

The same could be true for you and me.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

(Below is a link for the above song if you’d like to listen to it.)

 A Baby Changes Everything by Faith Hill

A Baby Changes Everything

Personal reflections on Advent: Love
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-38; Romans 5:1-5

  

In the past, when a young single girl got pregnant, her family might have sent her away to a maternity home until the baby was born. That way, nobody had to deal with the embarrassment, guilt and shame. It saved the reputation of the family and the girl.

 

Nine months is a long time. Just ask any pregnant woman. But it may have felt especially long for Mary. She was engaged to be married when she apparently got pregnant by someone else.

 

Can you imagine as she tried to explain to her fiancé, Joseph; her parents; her rabbi? Can you picture the reaction of people as she told them the preposterous story of the angel, and getting pregnant by the Holy Spirt? How ridiculous it must have sounded; how ashamed she must have felt; how alone and isolated she became.

 

It’s not really surprising that shortly after she learned about her condition that she went away to visit her cousin Elizabeth. No doubt, her cousin was a great comfort and encouragement to her. But still, nine months is a long time!

 

Do you think there were times when Mary couldn’t remember the exact words of the angel? Did she ever wonder if it had even been real, if it had actually happened? Doubt can easily creep into our heart and mind when we’re feeling hungry, angry lonely or tired.

 

Whatever doubts Mary may have had, she persevered. She was able to do so because God had spoken directly into her heart and mind through an angel. He had promised to be with her; he had told her how special she was to him; how much he loved her.

 

²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.             NIV

 

Just like Mary experienced God’s hope and love through his word, we can too. And just like his word and his promises carried Mary through difficult times, he is still speaking to us, pouring out his love into our heart.

 

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.       NIV

 

There’s a song by Faith Hill called “A Baby Changes Everything”. It describes Mary’s experience of being pregnant with Jesus, the Son of God. The final verse shifts from looking at Mary to the song writer… and to us.

 

My whole life has turned around
I was lost but now I'm found
A baby changes everything, yeah
A baby changes everything

 

If you would like to listen to it, click on the link below.

 A Baby Changes Everything by Faith Hill

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

What Was God Thinking?

A Series on God’s Call to Ministry

Luke 1:26-38

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-38&version=NIV;NLT

[Preface: How do you know what your calling in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly, almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]

It’s not unusual for a teenager to say “NO”! It’s not unusual for a teen to rebel against the authority of their parents; to try and take control of their own life; to flex their decision making muscles.

What if Mary had said “NO!”? What if she had told the angel Gabriel, “No thanks, I’m only a young teenage girl? I’ve got the rest of my life ahead of me.”? Do you think God had a Plan B? Did He have a short list of young virgin girls to call on?

And why did God choose Mary? After all, she was already engaged to be married. He must have realized how the neighbors would talk; how it would look; how scandalous it would be. What was God thinking?

Then there’s the whole thing about choosing a virgin from Nazareth in Galilee. Why didn’t he choose an up and coming girl from the city; from Jerusalem? Instead, He chose Nazareth where it was said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth”.

The only detail that God seems to have gotten right was choosing Joseph as the engaged husband to be. At least he was a descendant of David. Otherwise… what was God thinking!?!

To say that Mary was afraid, is no doubt a huge understatement. She was in the presence of an angel who was saying things that didn’t make any logical sense. In fact, what he said implied an unimaginable future for her.

Up to this point, her life was all planned out. She would get married to Joseph; raise their family; be a part of the community; and be a support to her husband in his carpentry business. Surprise! God had something else in mind.

³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² 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. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”   NLT

You probably haven’t had an angel tell you to do something, let alone something that seemed crazy. God works that way a lot. He calls us to do things that we feel totally unprepared to do. But His promise is that He will always be with you; that the word of God will never fail.

When writing this devotional, I made a short list of things that the Lord has called me to do during my lifetime. They include things that I had no logical reason to do; no confidence to do; no experience to do. What was God thinking?

Using the link below, listen to the song by Faith Hill titled, “A Baby Changes Everything”. Then, consider how that baby has changed your life. And, like Mary, remember that “The Lord is with you and that His word never fails”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw

A Christmas Tradition is Born

(This is the 2^nd of a 4 part series on “Memories of Christmas”.)

Luke 2:1-7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A1-7&version=NIV;NLT

 

Christmas traditions are generally carried over from generation to generation; but some just happen.

 

About ten years ago we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church. Afterwards, we thought it would be fun to drive around and look at some lights. Eventually we started getting hungry.

 

Have you ever tried to find a restaurant open on Christmas Eve, e.g. The Christmas Story? The only one we found was Lee Garden – a Chinese restaurant. The food was great. However, Chinese karaoke on Christmas Eve was a little strange. But that night a new Christmas tradition was born for our family.

 

There are a multitude of Christmas traditions that families observe. Some are fantasy, like Santa Claus. While others are based in fact, like the Nativity scene. Even then, the Nativity scene of today is a stark contrast to the reality.

 

It must have been a crazy time in the young lives of Mary and Joseph. An angel had visited Mary and told her that she would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. If that wasn’t hard enough to believe, he also informed her that her son would reign over Jacob’s descendants (Israel) forever; that his kingdom would never end.

 

How could she explain this to Joseph since she was a virgin; to her parents who had raised her to be a righteous Jew; to people in the village who might even choose to stone her for her apparent sin? But her relative Elizabeth understood.

When Mary went to visit her, Elizabeth’s baby leapt in her womb.

 

And now, when she was almost due, she and Joseph had to make a three day trip to Bethlehem for a census. Of course, when they arrived the city was bursting at the seams. As a result, there was no room in the inn, so Mary gave birth to the baby in a stable where he was laid in a feeding trough.

 

My family will never forget about that first visit to the Lee Garden Restaurant and how our Christmas tradition was born. In the same way, we will never forget that our celebration of Christmas was born in Bethlehem with the gift of God’s only son as an expression of His pure, unconditional love for us.

 

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.           1 John 4:9-10 NLT

 

 

if you click on this link, you can listen to a beautiful song about God's love seen through the gift of his only son. It is called “How Many Kings”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTYe9sWYKdo

  

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others on social media.)

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