In our first post of the week, we saw how Mary was willing to be used of God, no matter the cost. In our second, we recognized how she remained humble even when she realized she was to play a part in the most important birth in the history of everything. The third characteristic Mary demonstrated in preparing for that first Christmas is perhaps the most important one of all.
Faith.
As I read the story of the birth of Christ in Matthew and Mark, I am struck by Mary's faith. When told she was to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit, she replied, "May it be to me as you have said." She didn't question whether God could do this thing He had never done before. When told her cousin Elizabeth, who had been declared barren, was to have a child, she did not doubt.
Mary didn't question if God could, or if God would. She accepted that God is. He is capable. He is willing. He is true to His word. In the face of the impossible, she gave everything over to God.
That's faith.
According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Mary hoped in God, and was certain that, even though she could not see Him or His work, He would do what He said.
To travel to Bethlehem 9 months pregnant, Mary had to have faith that God would care for her. To flee with her young son to Egypt, she had to believe God was with them, even when they could not see Him. When told to return to their home, she had to hope in God that He would not lead them astray.
Mary gave her life over to God. His plan was not her plan, but she made her plan God's plan. She trusted that He knew best. She put her hope, her trust, her everything, in Him.
That's faith.
Christmas is about faith. It's about believing a humanly impossible story. It's about accepting spiritual things we cannot fully comprehend. It's about a promise hoped for that we cannot see or otherwise measure. It's about God, and our faith in Him.
To truly prepare for Christmas, we, like Mary, have to have faith. Yes, we can celebrate Christmas without faith--millions around the world do. But without faith in God, what are they celebrating?
Without faith, Christmas is meaningless. It's just another day. Worse than that, without faith in Christ, it becomes something else entirely. It becomes a celebration of the world and materialism. It becomes idolatry.
If faith is not central to your preparations for Christmas, then you're not getting ready for what Christmas really is.
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