CHOSEN
In the Christmas season, I
love to think about Mary, the
mother of Jesus. She was cho-
sen, so specifically, receiving
a message from God that she
would give birth to the Son of
God Himself, the long-awaited
Messiah. I can’t imagine being
engaged to be married and
then suddenly being told that I
would be pregnant with a child
who would save mankind—
poor Mary seems so confused
at first, telling the angel Gabri-
el that it would simply be im-
possible. But he explains what
will happen, and why, and
Mary says these sweet, simple
words,
“Behold, I am a servant of
the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word”
(Luke 1: 38, ESV).
But we seem to forget that long
before this cataclysmic event,
Mary had already been chosen,
chosen to bring God honor
and glory, and chosen to be a
part of God’s holy nation. Mary
seems to have known and be-
lieved this, and to have under-
stood what a wonderful God
she served. So, when the angel
approached her with this mes-
sage that God now had a spe-
cific task for her, her response
was to accept it.
Throughout history, it seems
like there are people who have
been born to lead revolutions
and pioneer social change,
people who evangelize whole
villages or save entire people
groups from destruction. In
the Bible, it is true that certain
people are chosen by God even
before their births to do cer-
tain things: Isaac and his sons
bore so many promises and
prophesies before their con-
WORDS BY JANESSA MILLER // PHOTOS BY CHRISTI STONER