Jesus Christ has been controversial since the moment He was conceived. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 35 Q. What does it mean that he “was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”? A. That the eternal Son of God, who is and remains true and eternal God, took to himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that he might become David’s true descendant, like his brothers in every way except for sin. Summary Imagine how terrified Mary, probably 11 or 12 years old here, felt when Gabriel, one of God's chief angels, appeared before her. Luke, who is somewhat known for his dry sense of humor in how he reported the facts in his gospel and the book of Acts, writes that Mary was 'greatly troubled' and that she 'wondered what kind of greeting this might be.' I'll bet she wondered! My guess is that Gabriel's announcement that she was 'highly favored' and that the 'Lord is with you' didn't immediately take root in her mind. She was probably too flabbergasted for it to register. But as if those opening announcements weren't shocking enough, the next thing Gabriel said would have pushed most people completely over the edge. Mary would bear a child - but not just an ordinary child - one who would be called 'the Son of the Most High.' Somehow Mary is able to gather her wits at this point and push back on Gabriel a bit. Everything she'd been taught about the birds and the bees argued against what she was being told. She was a virgin, and this sort of thing doesn't happen to girls like her! Gabriel's reply probably made sense to him, but imagine what it would be like for Mary to hear that she would become pregnant when the power of the Holy Spirit of the Most High would overshadowed her. I wonder, did those words comfort her or terrify her more? But Gabriel still has one more shock for Mary. It turns out that barren old Aunt Elizabeth had been pregnant for six months now. Dig Deeper The doctrine of the virgin birth is one of the most doubted and disbelieved in all of Christian history. Some people have denied it because they deny all of the supernatural and miraculous claims the Bible makes, but others seem to be willing to accept many of the Bible's miracles, but draw the line at a virgin conceiving a child. No doubt young Mary struggled with these doubts as well. Think of how she must of tossed and turned at night wondering who in the world would believe her story. It was even too much for Joseph, until Gabriel showed up to set him straight at least. As we're going to see this week, the doctrine of the virgin birth is not just some Biblical oddity that you can take or leave. In fact, your entire salvation depends on this bizarre sounding account being true. Mary's resolve seems to strengthen upon hearing the last thing Gabriel said to her: For no word from God will ever fail (v37) Look at how Mary aligns her life with God's will after hearing this. "I am the Lord's servant," she said. Make sure your life models Mary's faithfulness, even when God's will seems shocking or contrary to everything you thought you knew. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose will often looks so different than what we expect. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray the words Mary prays upon hearing this shocking news: "May your word to me be fulfilled." ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 3

Today: John 12

Ephesians 6:1-3 (NIV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2  “Honor your father The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. the world, and all who live in it" (Psalm 24:1). Today: 1 Corinthians 9

Exodus 34:1-16 (NIV) CONTEXT: After a long time, Moses had returned to Israel carrying two tablets of But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance. as our Confession puts it, "separate yourself from those who do not belong to the church in order to join Today: 1 Timothy 3

Romans 6:1-4 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

Romans 10:1-4 (NIV) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may Today: 1 Corinthians 7

Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and

Acts 15:1-21 (NIV) Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless Today: 1 Corinthians 6

the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:

Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV) After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be He would show him, and that once Abram got there God would make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:1-