Luke 1: 26-38, The favored person !

Luke 1: 26-38, The favored person ! 

1:26-38,

26.In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27.to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  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.  31.You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."  34."How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"  35.The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  36.Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37.  For nothing is impossible with God."  38."I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
 
Merry Christmas! It is the day of Jesus, the Savior, Christ, King, and Lord.
Angel Gabriel gives the virgin Mary the news of Jesus' conception. Who is Jesus? v. 31 and Mt. 1:21, 'Jesus' is the one who will save His people from their sins. What is the Lord's message through Mary's acceptance?

1. Mary (we) is the favored person.

  Verse 28, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  Verse 26, “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin,”  V.32, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”(Son of God,35 ) V.33, Eternal God. 
Mary was a Nazareth woman from the poor mountain village of Galilee, she received the immense grace of being the mother of Jesus Christ, and the mother of the Savior of all the world. It is grace that ordinary we have been saved to believe in the Savior Jesus. 

*The grace realized by the poor workers of England in the 18th century: the starving Lord, the undressed Lord, the crucified Lord, and Lord, who died with shedding His blood on the cross. They received the Lord and wept in gratitude for His grace. 
Think of those who are waiting for death in hospital, homeless people sleeping on the cold street in winter, and those who are lonely without visiting them in Nursing Home. It's a grace that we can sleep in a warm room and have lunch. It is God's grace that even we breathe and live.

2. The favored person (we) bears the sacrifices.

  Verse 31, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” V.34, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?“
Mary's conception was dangerous and frightening, which could be hit by a stone and killed.
* The sacrifice of the graced ones in the Village of Gale, France,

* The sacrifice of British poor workers. 
* Have you received God’s grace? You have to sacrifice for God.

3. The favored people (we) have to obey God’s commandments.

  Verses 37-38, 37. “For nothing is impossible with God." 38. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."  Mary realized she was received a great grace, so she obeyed God’s word. 

* Jesus' love for us is like the pelican bird's love for cubs.
* A pillar of Mark’s upper room in Jerusalem is carved with a pattern of mother pelican feeding her blood to the cubs. The pelican, who pecks out of her heart and feeds the pups with blood from there, symbolizes Jesus Christ giving His flesh and blood as a spiritual form to Christians through the sacrament.  Let us know the grace Jesus has given us spiritual form of His flesh and blood, and let us make sacrifices, believe in the Lord, obey the Lord, and Share the gospel with family members, friends, and neighbors who do not believe in Jesus.

Conclusion:
The Lord came to us to give everything, like a pelican bird. Let us know that grace, sacrifice for the Lord, obey, and live for the Lord and for his righteousness. Amen.