An Imaginative Retelling of the Christmas Story
Narrated by Gabriel, Joseph and Mary, Elizabeth, and the Innkeeper’s Wife
Installments are in reverse order; the latest to be posted is first on this page. To read earlier portions of the story, scroll down on the page.
GABRIEL Announces the Coming Messiah
“Hello, Mary,” I said.
She motioned for me to come in, probably assuming that I was someone who knew her father. I did not take the seat she offered, however, nor did I wait for her to ask if I would like the customary refreshing drink.
“Congratulations, Mary! The Lord is with you, and you are a favored young woman! You are the most blessed of them all!”
She seemed confused—and perhaps just a little frightened. “I’m sorry, sir,” she faltered. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t be afraid,” I told her, “for God is pleased with you. I’m Gabriel, a messenger of the Lord, and He has sent me to tell you that soon you will become pregnant and have a baby boy. You are to name him Jesus—Savior. He is in line for the throne of your ancestor David, but He will be the greatest ruler of all. His reign will be forever and His kingdom will never end!”
“But what you say is not possible!” she protested. “I’ve kept myself pure for Joseph, and we haven’t married yet. Surely you’re not telling me I’m going to have a baby!”
I quickly replied, “Oh, this is not Joseph’s child. The Holy Spirit will come upon you to accomplish a miracle birth. This child is the Promised One! The power of the Most High will overshadow you continually so that the child, even as He grows within you, is completely God’s charge—the Holy One, the very Son of God.”
She buried her face in her hands, trying, I’m sure, to still the thoughts that would naturally come flooding in. Every devout family hoped to see the long-expected Messiah among their descendants. But surely it must be hard for this girl to believe that she was actually a part of that. She was young, and poor. And worst of all, she was unmarried! All young women tried to imagine how wonderful it would be to become mother of the promised Savior, but to her, this suddenly must not seem so wonderful. It had to be confusing, frightening, and unthinkable. I could hardly believe it myself.
Seeing her consternation, I spoke to her again. “You know your relative Elizabeth? She is well-advanced in age now, and though she has longed for a child all through the years of her marriage, she has not been able to bear one. Go visit her. She has not told anyone yet except her husband, but you will find that she who has been barren all these years is now in the sixth month of pregnancy! Seeing what the marvelous power of God has done in her, you will know that any miracle God wants to do in your own life is not an impossibility.”
I could see her weighing what I said. “Then there is going to be a way to test the truth?”
“Yes, but we cannot wait for your answer. Have you decided, Mary? Are you ready to be the servant of the Lord?”
I knew that she could not possibly know what her “yes” would mean. It made me tremble to think of it. But I had a sudden, sweeping sense of the loss that would be hers by saying “no.”
“All right,” she almost whispered. “Let it be so. I will be the obedient maidservant of the Lord, and He can accomplish whatever He wishes in me.”
(To be continued)
MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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