Luke 1: 26-38 God has a plan, Mary. How will you respond?

We learn in these passages that God has a plan and in the Christmas story, we we see that He shares His plans with us and records our responses and / or tells us how He wants us to respond to His plans.  In the book of Luke, we see how Mary, a teenage girl, is told of God's plan to bring Jesus into the world through her.  We don't see God asking Mary to approve the plan or to provide imput before He decided how to proceed.  On the contrary, the angel, Gabriel was sent to share what was going to happen...(vs. 31) "you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus."

Mary, a teenage girl was faced with the fact that she was going to bare a child out of wedlock in a society that could put her to death for such an act.  She was betrothed to Joseph who could save his own reputation by cancelling the marriage and revealing her "sin".  Yet God records in His word how Mary responded (vs. 38)  "Then Mary said, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

In the book of Matthew, we see that God instructed Joseph how he wanted him to respond to the plan of Jesus' birth.  In Matthew 1: 18-25, God told Joseph what was happening and his role in the plan...(vs. 20-21)  "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sin."  How did Joseph respond?  Verse 24, "When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did what the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife."

The story of Jesus' birth makes it clear that we are born into God's plan.  I think that we believe that we are here to give God a plan, but actually we are here to participate in His plan as it unfolds.  He asks us to respond, tells us how to respond, and records our responses.  As followers of Christ we know that God's plan is the only plan that will lead us to His side for eternity.