The news that a mother is expecting a baby is good news for the whole family, but especially for the mother, She shares the news with other who, in turn, are glad to congratulate her.
In the months that follow, she will become aware of physical changes in her body as the baby develops. She will wonder about the baby’s sex, the colour of its hair and eyes, and of course the name. There will be mounting excitement during the final weeks of pregnancy, and then D-day itself!
When the birth is over, she will no longer remember the anguish of labour, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Mothers agree that the experience of cradling the newborn child is an incomparable, euphoric moment.
All this was true of Mary as she first expected, and then gave birth to Jesus. It was good news for her!
Higher plane
However, things were said and done beforethe birth of Jesus that lifted the good news to an altogether higher plane. Before the onset of the pregnancy, a heavenly visitor told Mary that her child was destined to be ‘great’, and would be called ‘the Son of the Highest’, ‘the Holy One’, ‘the Son of God’.
When she went to tell her relative Elizabeth the good news, Elizabeth made an extraordinary statement: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’
It is difficult for us to imagine how Mary must have felt. The weight of the privilege and responsibility of carrying the very Son of God within her womb must have overwhelmed and astonished her.
This really was good news! Why? What was it about the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ that filled Mary’s heart with such joy?
Magnifying God
Mary herself has told us! She broke into a song of praise and exclaimed, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour … He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name’.
Mary calls God her ‘Saviour’. She knew she needed God’s forgiveness for her sins. She realised that she had no goodness (righteousness) of her own – and that she therefore needed a new heart and a clean spirit before God. She needed the life of God in her soul.
•Like every one of us, Mary needed a Saviour – and that Saviour is God incarnate, Jesus Christ!
•Jesus Christ the Son of God, the baby in her womb, was her Saviour!
•Jesus Christ had come to live a perfect, righteous life – for her!
•Jesus Christ had come to die as the substitute and sacrifice – for her sins!
•Jesus Christ had come to give eternal and abundant life – to her!
•Jesus Christ would rise from the dead and live for ever – for her!
Mary put her trust in God, her Saviour. Will you do the same?
