Which Part?

My soul glories the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. Luke 1:46-48

The Christmas story has been played out on live stages, outside stables, and churches everywhere for as long as we can remember. The characters are always the same; Mary, Joseph, the Innkeeper, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, the Angels, the stable animals, and of course, the baby Jesus.

When Randy and I served our very small churches, it became necessary for us to be in charge of the production on some years. Almost every young girl wanted to be Mary, and it wasn’t an easy job to choose Mary from a group of young girls vying for the starring role. I wonder if those girls would have been as courageous as Mary, and I wonder if she, herself, would have ever chosen that role if Jesus had not chosen her?

Scholars believe that the virgin Mary was only 14-15 years old when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and gave her the news that she was to bear a child that was the Son of God. This announcement turned her life upside down. She had planned to marry Joseph, then have a child, but God called her to a different plan. She was called upon to bear shame, reproach and humiliation for the Glory of God. Hers is the greatest honor ever afforded to a woman, yet it came at the cost of tremendous social disgrace.

History tells us that every Jewish girl of that time hoped God would use them as a vessel through which He would send His Messiah into the world. Despite the shame, Mary was willing to submit her life to the will of God and, in so doing, she became the Mother of Jesus.

In speaking of how Mary must have felt when her holy child was born, Max Lucado says “Mary didn’t know whether to give the baby Jesus milk or give Him praise, so she gave him both. She had to assume He was both hungry and holy.”

Mary exemplifies the characteristics that all Christians should show. She was faithful, obedient, and surrendered her will to that of the Father. Even at her young age, she realized that God was doing something wonderful through her life. After all, she was the vessel through which God entered His son into the world and into the history of the world.

As Christians, each of us have to acknowledge that God has done “great things” in and to us. Think of the changes He has made in our lives, and the blessings and benefits we enjoy as children of God! Think of the glory that awaits each of us as God’s child. We have been blessed abundantly. Like Mary, our soul glories the Lord.

In the cast of characters, which part would we choose to play today if we could go back to that time and place? Which part would we play in the Christmas story? Are we just content to admire Mary, or would it behoove us all to be more like her? Our role should not be that of the people who judged her, but rather of the ones who praised her for her role! I wonder if she ever knew the impact she has had on the Christian world!

Mary did you know that your Baby Boy would someday walk on water? Mary did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that Baby Boy has come to make you new? The child that you delivered will one day deliver you. Mary did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with His hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God.

Mary Did You Know by Mark Lowry and Buddy Green