Face-to-face with a towering angel

Who do you think the first Christian was? In my book, it has to be Mary, Jesus’s mother. She was the first human to kiss the face of God and the first to accept Jesus as her Saviour.

Face-to-face with a towering angel, she was given the astounding news that she would be giving birth to the Son of God. She accepted this amazing message without doubting it.

Mary said “yes” to the most incredible assignment ever- even though she was initially baffled by the logistics. How would she, as a virgin, bear a child?

Gabriel replied that the power of the Most-High God would overshadow her and without a moment’s hesitation, Mary accepted the word of God and entered into a unique destiny which would hold both immense joy and the deepest sorrow imaginable.

Mary’s “Yes” changed history. Ours can too!

When we say “Yes” to God, amazing things can happen.

But let’s consider Mary’s story first of all…

Shortly after giving birth, Mary was told by the prophet Simeon that her son would cause “the falling and rising of many in Israel”. He would be misunderstood - and sorrow would pierce her own soul like a sword. It’s not what you really want to hear in a prophecy.

We know that thirty-three years later, Mary was at the cross, watching her treasured son die in agony. We can only imagine how it felt at that moment to pay such a high price for her obedience to God.

The most amazing event in history- the Incarnation- was a gift that caused indescribable grief for Mary. Of course, later, she knew the inexpressible joy of the Resurrection too. And throughout church history, her name has been highly honoured, as she herself prophesied in the Magnificat: “from now on, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48)

We can certainly call Mary blessed because, with her pure heart and obedient spirit, she played a major role in salvation history, and therefore, in our own salvation stories.

So, what can we learn from this model disciple, who has become our spiritual mother? Here are a few important lessons from Mary’s life:

·If we embrace God’s call, we will sometimes be led down a path where we encounter pain and suffering; at times it may seem too hard to bear. But it’s often the case that our deepest wounds can become a channel of grace to others, if we do not become bitter.

·When we say ‘Yes’ to God, the stage is set for miracles to happen

·Mary’s story proves that the angel Gabriel’s declaration in Luke 1:37 was true: “No word from God will ever fail”. When we know that God has spoken to us (usually through scripture, rather than an angel!) we can trust that his Word will certainly bring about a miraculous change of circumstances or a transformation within us, provided we play our part through obedient faith.

·We know from scripture (Luke 2:19) that Mary treasured God’s words concerning all of the events surrounding the birth and life of Jesus, and she meditated on them often. She treasured these thoughts in her heart and they gave her strength for the hard times ahead. Meditating on scripture is a vital key to spiritual victory (it’s what God instructed Joshua to do in order to win his battles for the promised land too).

Mary was filled with unrivalled grace. We know that because of Gabriel's greeting: "Hail Mary, full of grace". She was wise and full of faith.

Mary gave some advice to the servants at the wedding feast in Cana, where, at her request, Jesus turned water into wine. That same advice is good for us today:

“Do whatever he tells you”. 

Mary also proved at Cana that she has huge power as an intercessor, and we can ask for her prayers today too. She still has the ear of her Son!  

Mary’s role in salvation history was unique- and we can be sure that God has a unique role for each one of us too. We just have to take one step of obedience at a time in order to become who we are meant to be.

Lyn Peterson is the author of Royal Birds: God’s Overcoming Daughters , a book to empower women.

A former news reporter, features editor and psychology tutor, Lyn is based in the English Midlands and lives with her husband, alongside a herd of Limousin-cross cows. She has two grown-up children and her favourite activities include worship, drawing and painting, dancing, blogging and journaling.