Advent Devotion
by Ted Schroeder
“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.” Luke 1:35
God seems to choose people in such a strange way. Moses, chosen to be the
one who spoke for his people, stuttered. Gideon, chosen to be a warrior chief,
thought he was “the least of the least.” David, chosen to be a great king, was
a mere shepherd boy. And when God searched about for someone to be the
mother of the Savior, he chose Mary from Nazareth. No one had ever heard of
Mary. She was a simple girl from an out of the way town. Why? Why does God
seem to choose so oddly?
Even Jesus, when he chose his disciples did not look for the brightest and best
young men of his day. He chose simple fishermen to follow him. Why? Why not
do the sensible thing and choose his world’s “movers and shakers?” And yet the
stutterer Moses led his people out of Egypt. Gideon won the battle. David became
a great king. Mary became the Mother of the Savior. And Jesus’ disciples spread
the Gospel to the whole world. In spite of everything, God’s choosings worked.
God’s will was done. God did it. The miracles that happened didn’t depend on the
people who carried them out. They were God’s work.
And God still chooses. He chooses us to be the ones who will carry the Good
News of the coming Savior. Are we qualified? Are we able to change people’s
minds and bring them to believe? Are we able to persuade them? Of course
not. The Holy Spirit – the same one who chose us in baptism – works through us
to do what God wants done.
Let’s Talk About It:
• How does it feel to know that you are chosen by God?
• When have you seen God working through you or
someone close to you?
• How can we give God thanks for choosing and sending us?
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus. Come to us again with your Spirit and help us to rejoice
that we are the ones who are chosen to carry the Good News to every person.
Amen.