Kaitlin

Well, I think it pretty much goes without saying that the journey was especially dificult for Mary because she was probably quite close to her due date, and I'm sure a long, hard rode on the back of a donkey did not help the situation. Pleasure is definately not an indication that we are in God's will. In fact, it may at times be an indication that we are not in His will. This is probably one of the areas I struggle with most in descerning God's will for me. I find it difficult to know whether a circumnstance is difficult because the Devil is trying his best to make things hard for me, or if it is God closing the door and gently (or not so gently) telling me that that I was coming up with my own ideas and He wants me to focus my energy elsewhere. As far as whether or not "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." The other day, I was listening to a chorus from Handel's Messiah, in which the text is taken directly from Matt 11:28-30 "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." I got to thinking about this, and how many times, this seems so contradictory and the burden seems terribly heavy. Then I realized that when the burden is heaven it is not that God has given us more than we can bear, but rather that we are not carrying all that God has asked us to bear. It is only in carrying the whole burden that we are filled with the joy that makes it so light. So the answer is false, Being a consistent Christian causes less hardship than just going with the flow. We must only make sure we carry the whole burden.

He is vallidating his account by associating it with outside sources and the historical context. In addition, this context provides many reasons for the actions of the people in the account. If it wasn't for the census, Jesus would have most likely been born in Nazareth, thus not fulfilling the prophecies. It is amazing how God engineers circumstances for his purposes. I'm sure that when Caesar issued the census, he wasn't thinking, hmmm, I guess I better have a census so the prophecy that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem will be fulfilled. Whether or not Mary and Joseph were aware of the necesity of them going to Bethlehem in order to fulfil prophecy, I'm not sure. Either way, it is amazing to see how God works circumstances out.

Joseph's action of taking Mary as his wife suggests first of all obedience to God. Second, it suggests love, righteousness, etc. (All the ones that Helena said are very good.) Joseph was part of the line of David, and his naming and thus adopting Jesus as his own son make Jesus even more a part of the line of David as the prophecies require.

I got a bit lost in how the prophecy was fulfilled in Ahaz's time, considering that, to my knowledge, there was no virgin birth that occurred then. Nevertheless, as far as how this profecy was fulfilled in Jesus' birth--Jesus' birth was indeed a virgin birth and He literaly was Immanuel.

Jesus' name was a very clear indication of God's intended purpose for Him. He was not here to save Israel from Roman tyranny or anything of that nature. He was here to save them from their sin. I think the angel may have told Joseph as well as Mary because in that time, women were not always considered as credible as men were, and it was a verification for not only Joseph, but for others who would hear of the angel's visit. Many times, I think we also need to be reminded of what Jesus came to save us from. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the physical realm that we put to much of an emphasis on how God provides for our earthly needs. We think, yes, of course He saved me from my sins, and that's all very well, but why isn't He saving me from this financial problem or relationship struggle? Rather than take His salvation for granted, we should take time to put in perspective what a sacrifice it was, and truly appreciate what He has done.

Mary's options did look rather bleak from a human standpoint, but her trust and faith in God is definately eveident throughout the account. Joseph exhibits a humbling amount of character in this. We don't know to what extent this was an arranged marriage, or to what extent they actually loved each other, yet whether or not Joseph was driven more by his own reputation or his love for Mary, Joseph shows his maturity and determination to do right, even in a very difficult situation. In Joseph's decision to divorce Mary, he demonstrates his determination to place his comitment to God and what he believed God would see as the right thing to do ahead of everything else, including his relationship with Mary. In his decision to divorce her quietly, Joseph demonstrates a love for mercy. He could have easily gotten revenge on Mary for her supposed unfaithfulness by having a public stoning, yet his heart is full of forgiveness. We cannot say that Joseph is competely selfless in this, because he still put his own reputation above Mary, but while preserving his reputation, he was doing as much as he could for her.

As the son of a carpenter, Jesus would have learned the skills necessary to grow up to be a carpenter. He would have learned the value of hardwork, patience, persistence, etc. As a father, Joseph would have taught Jesus the skills necessary to become a carpenter and one day support a family. Yet I wonder if he ever thought, how in the world can Jesus be the Messiah--how can he lead us as a people out of Roman oppression, much less oppression from our sins? I imagine Joseph often felt extremely inadequate, as well as under a lot of pressure, trying to raise the Savior of the world.

These terms are appropriate because they are truly what happened. She was blessed to be the one to bear Jesus, and she was his mother, and He is God. As a protestant myself, I am hesitant to use this terminology, because I feel it may be putting a disproportionate emphasis on her, rather than God. It seems that be exalting her, we put the emphasis on what the relative importance of what God asks of us, rather than putting the importance on whether or not we have obeyed what he asks, no matter how small. In the parable of the talents, we see that when we are faithful in the small things, God will entrust us with the large things. After reading this, I have come to realize that by Mary's being entrusted with this responsibility, she must have already proved herself in the small responsibilities. In honoring Mary, I think it should be as a celebration of her obedience, not in the fact that she was the mother of God. Here's another interesting idea related to that of Mary being the Mother of God, which I recently read in the poem "The Dry Savages" by T.S. Eliot. It is an allusion to a line from Dante's Paradiso: "Figlia del tuo figlio" (translated Daughter of your son) I think this idea emphasizes the fact that while Mary was the mother of God, she was equally the child of God, and in need of the same grace that we all are.

Mary's response was, as many have already said, one of complete belief, humility, and submission. She was ready to trust and follow after God, even though she knew the consequences of this pregnancy could easiliy be ridicule, isolation, rejection, even death by stoning. We can apply this to our own lives by examining how we have reacted to what God has already asked us, commanded us, called us to do, as well as how we should better respond in the future. The responsibility that God asked Mary to bear jepardized her relationships with Joseph, her parents, her society, as well as jepardizing her own life (from an earthly standpoint). Many times, I think we feel like we'd be willing to follow God unconditionally when it makes sense, yet when it seems redicuous, we think, "God couldn't really be wanting me to do that, doesn't He see how important this relationship or that job is to me, and how if I lost that, God couldn't really use me as well any more?" We don't understand how much bigger his plans really are. What do we consent to when we choose to follow? Matt 10:22,24-25,28-39 And you will be hated of all men for My name's sake, but the one who endures to the end shall be kept safe... A disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he is like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household?...And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows. Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life shall lose it. And he who loses his life for My sake shall find it.

The virgin conception teaches us that Jesus is more than just human. Jesus is, as the Nicene Creed states, "...very God of very God...being of one substance with the Father..." Yet because Mary is His mother, we must not say that he is not human, and that He was only God. Out faith hinges upon the necessity of Jesus being 100% God AND 100% man, as SojournersHeart said. Expounding on that, I have found a good way to visualize this seeming impossibility is to picture a smaller box inside a larger box. If both boxes are open on top, and the larger one is filled, the smaller one will be filled as well, because it is contained inside. This is also much like submersing a cup in a large, water-filled pan in the sink. Is the smaller container 100% full? Yes. Is the larger container 100% full? Equally so. The capacity of the smaller in less, thus 100% is only part of the larger container's 100%. While in some aspects, this analogy does not work as well, such as God's sinlessness and humanity's free-will/disposition to sin, it seems to help me begin to comprehend this concept a bit easier. The doctrine of the virgin conception and birth are quite central to Christianity. In fact, they are essential. Even at the surface level, if these doctrines were proved false, they would make God out to be a liar, because He has given these doctrines to us as truth. Upon deeper consideration, it becomes evident that if Jesus was not 100% God and 100% man, we would have no hope of salvation. If Jesus was only one or the other, there would be no reconciliation of God and man--no possibility of finding a worthy sacrifice to bear more than his own personal sin. If Jesus was only human, He could have only paid for His own sins. If Jesus was only God, He would not have been a compatible sacrifice for the sins of humanity. I say this, not to disprove these things, but for us to gain a realization of the seriousness and desperate necessity of the solution found in the virgin birth. From this, I realize that I must come to see this miracle in all its profound, miraculous, yet simple and humble beauty. I am amazed and in thanks and praise to God, who would do such a thing, to come to a world of pain, time, and limitations, in order to save us, the very ones who's sin crucified Him.

I believe the main difference seems to be in regard to what their question was trying to prove. For Zechariah, his how was in some respect an attempt to disprove God. His how said, "This is impossible, and I won't believe it or act upon it until you can prove it." For Mary, it was an effort to increase her faith. Her how asked, "OK God, this is crazy. I know it must be so, because You have said so, yet I am in complete amazement. Please use this to help me understand You more." Zechariah's question reveals his doubt and his insistance to see in order to believe. Mary's question reveals her faith and her willingness to follow and obey. Time and time again in the Bible, God makes it clear that he rewards the faithful. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." -Jesus (John 20:29b) Although Zechariah was not able to speak until John's birth as a result of his unbelief, I do not think we should necessarily think of this as a bad thing. I imagine that after that time of silence was over, Zechariah had recieved a priceless lesson in faith and humility. As Proverbs 3:11-12 says,this discipline was indeed a blessing.

~ His name would be Jesus, that in itself an indication of His role here on earth ~He would be great--a Son of the Most High ~He would reign over Israel as the promised Son of David, the Messiah, with an eternal kingdom Imagine how Mary must have felt. In her childhood as a Jewish person, she would have undoubtedly been taught of the coming Messiah and waited with expectancy for Him, and then to find that she would be the one throught which the Messiah would be born. What a humbling and overwhelming thing this must have been for her.

Hello, I'm Kaitlin from Minnesota. I just finished the Names of God study several weeks ago, so this will be my second one. I'm really looking forward to doing this study, because lately, I've been thinking about the point of everything a lot, including the real meaning of Christmas. I know we always say "Jesus is the reason for the season," but are we really acting like that's what we believe? Since when did we ever get presents on other people's birthdays? Christmas is first and foremost Jesus' birthday, so shouldn't we be thinking about what we could give to Him, thinking about what He has asked of us in His word? This is what I feel like I need to be working this Christmas. I'm in choir at the college I go to, and we've been working on Part One of Handel's Messiah for our Christmas concert. This has also caused me to consider the deeper implications of Christmas. I wasn't aware of it before, but the Messiah is pretty much 100% inspired by scripture, if not direct quotes, and it has been great to be able to meditate on these verses much more than I would have had the chance to otherwise. I miss hearing the solos in our rehersals, since I am only part of the choir, yet even the chorus parts that I sing on are some aspects of Christmas that I think we tend to forget. Take the words from the first chorus--"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh will see it together." Isn't that ultimately what God's plan has always be aiming towards? Everything God does brings Him glory. Here's another..."And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." This purification, this redemption, is what Christmas started. We tend to compartmentalize Christmas and Easter, yet they are each pointless without the other. This is where it starts. Sure, we all know that we give gifts supposedly because God gave the best gift of all, in His Son, yet I think we often forget the implications of this gift. This gift was pure sacrifice. Pure humility. Pure love. This Christmas, I hope we are all challanged to more fully consider the gift of salvation we have been given, and that, in light of this gift, set into motion at Christmas, we will pursue of life of great joy and sacrifice.

One last thought--perhaps the most important concept of the peace found in the new heaven and earth, is that it is an eternal gift. Whenever we experience a faint glimmer of peace here in this fallen world, it seems we must ironically alway fight to preserve peace, we remain fearful of the next outburst of strife. In the New Heaven and the New Earth, the peace will be forever, without end, and we will not have to fight to protect the peace. We will live in complete and perfect peace, freely and without fear, forever.

The first thing I think of when I see this picture is a peace of restoration--the peace that is found because of Jesus' death and resurection. The complete idea of this peace doesn't come from the reconcilation alone, but rather from God's presence as well, YET reconciliation gives us a peace knowing we are then granted the gift of dwelling eternally in God's presence. (Romans 5) The peace that will be found in the New heaven and earth will truly be peace that goes completely beyond our understanding of peace (Phil. 4:7) This peace is so complete it will make unthinkable things commonplace--little children will play near and with ferocious beasts without fear. But I highly doubt this one benefit of the New heaven and new earth's version of peace is even the tip of the iceberg. I have experienced God's peace that passes all understanding here on earth--amidst all the confusion and distractions that get thrown at me, how much more so will I be able to experience God's peace in this new environment. This New world will be free of the deadlines and distractions and sin that threaten our ability to connect with God and recieve his peace here. In the New heaven and earth, Isaiah 11 says "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." I imagine that the peace will be as deep and complete as the water as well. I think we will literally be drowning in peace.