Adventure - Day 22

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”
Luke 1:26-38 NLT

“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18-21, 24-25 NLT

In these Scripture accounts of what is often referred to as the Annunciation of Christ, we can see how pregnancy is a completely different experience for men as it is for women.

First, there’s the obvious.  Men don’t get the joy, or the curse, of actually being pregnant.  Oh, we like to say things like, “My wife and I are pregnant,” but that’s just our way of including ourselves in the story.  We men don’t get morning sickness, or the feeling of the baby pushing on our bladder, or the struggle to roll over at night, or all the challenges of our body being overtaken by an alien.

Men are pretty removed from the whole experience.

I remember when my wife was pregnant with our first child, she was, as they say, glowing.  Just gorgeous.  New life was growing inside of her and yes, there was discomfort, but there was also so much joy.

Meanwhile, my only real contact with the pregnancy was the news that she was pregnant, the testimony of what it was like for her, and a little ultrasound picture of a bean that was apparently my child.  Sure, when the baby started to move, I could feel a kick here and a hiccup there, but my job was more to support than truly experience.

We see this same thing in the story of Mary and Joseph.  Mary got the visit of Gabriel, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the new life inside her.  Joseph got a dream.  But rest assured, saying yes to this path, for both parents, was one of the biggest risks they would ever take in life.

Just like Mary and Joseph were a team, working together with God to bring Jesus into the world, you and I are also a team, called to work together to continue to help bring Jesus into the world.  They did it with their physical bodies, we do it with the spiritual body of Christ.  You and I were meant to grow to be more like Christ, together.  The more we work together, pray for each other, lean on each other, encourage each other, the more room we give for the Spirit to bring Jesus to life in us.

I can’t imagine how hard it is to be a single parent, and if you’re one of those, you have my prayers.  I couldn’t imagine raising our kids alone.  Tricia and I are, and always have been, a team.  And it has been a joy watching the people are kids are becoming, together.

So church, let us also be a team that helps bring more of Jesus to our world.

1. How have other people helped you grow in your understanding of who Christ is?
2. How have other people helped in your journey to become more like Christ in your life?
3. Who may God be putting on your heart today, right now, that could use your prayers so that their hearts would be more open to receiving Jesus?
4. On a real practical level, if there is a single parent in your circle of influence, what is one way you could offer them encouragement this week?