“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:35
The belief in the virgin birth is a cornerstone of Christian. Jesus Christ came into the world in a supernatural way. The holy thing that was formed in Mary was the Son of God. Now, having never personally carried a child myself, I can only speculate as to the way Mary must have felt. However, I believe some common assumptions can be made; that I am sure are close to fact. First of which is that Mary herself knew well that a child was within her. There was no doubt about this. Secondly, this was not something easily forgotten. The angel had appeared unto her and told her she was going to have a baby; Mary replied with the obvious “how can this be seeing as I know not a man?” Then the angel spoke the words found above “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” When the Son of God was created in her she most defiantly knew that 1st she was pregnant and 2nd it was by divine power. Carrying the Son of God within her is not something that she would forget; nor is it something that she would need to be reminded of. It’s not like she wakes up every now and again and thinks “oh yea I am still pregnant.” Or as though she says: “oh yea, I got to have this baby today.” This is/was a life changing event and a life defining event. Mary will now and forever be the Mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God!
It seems as though this Christmas Season is surrounded by promptings and reminders, such as “keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the reason for the Season.” Perhaps I am merely taking a cynical view on things; this could be argued, but we must be very careful not to harness our spiritual lives to the “holiday schedule.” That is to say when Thanksgiving comes around we are thankful. When Christmas arrives we recognize or rather are “reminded” of Christ. When Easter comes we praise him as the victorious one and Lord of all. The meaning of Christmas is a meaning that we live, or rather, lives in us throughout the year; throughout our years. One must understand that Christ is Christmas. This should not be something that we need to be prompted of, but rather something that cannot be ignored; because to the Christian, Christ is born in us. When a man or women finds a born again experience, they know that the Holy Ghost abides within and there is no doubt about the birth within. Jesus Christ was born into this world so that he could one day be born in us. So that one day the Son of God could abide in the heart of man teaching us and guiding us every day of our lives. It is an experience that is known immediately, and something you cannot be convinced otherwise of. Furthermore, it is not something that you need to be “reminded of” that is to say it is not something that you need to be prompted to turn on, but rather it becomes you and defines you.
Perhaps this year the only recognition of Christ was because of a “reason for season” church sign or Sunday sermon. If this is so, and the clutter of life has encumbered your soul, know that the Holy Ghost can come upon thee and the power of the Highest can overshadow thee, and you can have born in you the Son of God. This inward birth will change you, it will define you, and it will bring more joy, peace, happiness, than ever thought possible. The greatest of all gifts is surly this: that God sent his only Son into the world that “we might have life and have it more abundant.” Merry Christmas; today, tomorrow and those that may follow.
