Dec 5 - Luke 1:38

 

And Mary said,

“Behold the maidservant

of the Lord! Let it be to me

according to your word.”

Luke 1:38

 

Adult Devotion …

 

Did you ever watch Candid Camera?

 

One of my favorite old black and white episodes featured an elderly lady who had called tow truck driver. As I remember it, she said, "I don't understand it. Last night I parked my car in the garage just like I always do. But this morning I can't seem to get it out."

 

The tow truck driver opens the garage door to find a long, long sixties style sedan parked perfectly sideways in the garage. This car is precisely as long as the garage is wide. I mean, to pull off the Candid Camera joke, a team of twenty had to have spent three days wedging that car in there with a forklift.

 

And the elderly actress was perfect. She played haplessly confused. 

 

And the tow truck driver - on whom the trick is being played - is perfectly confused. In fact, on the show, they show six tow truck drivers in a row hem and haw and ponder, first, the elderly woman's parking prowess ... and, second, the impossibility of even extricating that huge old car from that tiny little garage. 

 

Then … suddenly ... "Smile! You're on Candid Camera." 

 

Now, why am I telling you about Candid Camera? Why am I talking about an old show where people were regularly shocked … just to see their reactions. Why?

 

Because when the angel came to Mary, I would have loved to have seen this girl’s reaction to the shock and awe and surprise.

 

Think about it … Can you imagine what it would be like to be barely a teenager and have a mighty angel suddenly appear before you! I think it would be fear. I’m certain there’d be terror! I’m sure I’d fall on my face. 

 

But guess what ... the magnificent surprise is the simple part of this story!

 

What I really can't imagine is what it would be like to suddenly have an angel appear before me and say, "You (and your fiancé) are having a baby. And by the way, it’s not just any baby. Your child will be the Messiah, the Son of God!"

 

That would be my Smile-You're-on-Candid-Camera-Moment! Like most people on the show, I would be utterly dumbfounded. I’d be disbelieving. I'd probably say, "Thanks, but no thanks." But Mary said, "Okay!”

 

Mary said, “Let it be! Just as you've said. I'll be your handmaiden. I'll be your servant. God, I trust in you."

 

In the last few devotions, I've used the word "wow" a lot. This is the one devotion that really deserves a thunderstruck exclamation the most. "Mary! ... Wow!" 

 

Or maybe, what I ought to be exclaiming is, "God, give me the faith of Mary." 

 

Or maybe, my comment needs to be more like the father who was asking Jesus to heal his son, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's not quite

ready for Candid Camera

 

Children’s Message

 

Have you ever had a big surprise?!

 

How did you react? What did you do?

 

Do you know who I think had the biggest surprise in the history of the world? I’ll bet it was Mary, the mother of Jesus. What do you think her face looked like when the angel came to Mary?!.

 

Can you imagine what it would be like to be barely a teenager and have a mighty angel suddenly appear before you! I think my reation would be fear. I’m certain there’d be terror. I’m sure I’d fall on my face! 

 

But guess what ... the magnificent surprise is the simple part of this story!

 

What I really can't imagine is what it would be like to suddenly have an angel appear before me and say, "You (and your fiancé) are having a baby. And by the way, it’s not just any baby. Your child will be the Messiah, the Son of God!"

 

How would you react? I think that I would be utterly dumbfounded. I’d be disbelieving. I'd probably say, "Thanks, but no thanks."

 

But … Mary said, "Okay!”

 

Mary said, “Let it be! Just as you've said. I'll be your handmaiden. I'll be your servant. God, I trust in you."

 

In the last few devotions, I've used the word "wow" a lot. This is the one devotion that really deserves a thunderstruck exclamation the most. "Mary! ... Wow!" 

 

Or maybe, what I ought to be exclaiming is, "God, give me the faith of Mary." 

 

Discussion Questions:

 

1.    What amazes you most about Mary’s story?

2.    How do you think you would have reacted?

3.    Based on this story, what do you think your prayer needs to be?