Summary

God’s message for today is that he is the Father of every blessing. Mary appears in the New Testament as the supreme example of what it means to receive the blessing of the coming of Christ. The angelic visitation at the time of the conception of Jesus signals both a new exodus and new creation in the glory and power of the Holy Spirit. A fresh vision of God is imparted; he will dwell within human life as a man. In receiving this promise by simple faith Mary is the supreme example of the Christian life as one of blessing upon blessing. The revelation of divine condescending love empowers her, and us, into union with the just and merciful heart of God towards all who are broken. To become part of a generation that calls her “blessed” we need to follow Jesus from her womb forward to his death and resurrection. This is the true story of Christmas blessings.

Introduction

During my time in the Middle East I strongly sensed the Spirit impressing upon me the Father’s longing to bless. There is no better time to speak of these things than Christmas, when an attitude of generosity pervades even our secular society. Having said this, the preaching of much of the church at this time of year tends to be predictable, and often bypasses the depths of what it meant for God to come to earth as a man. In this context, I have unexpectedly been led to reflect on the meaning of the Holy Spirit’s visitation to Mary concerning the conception of Jesus. This topic is deeply spiritual and mind taxing; nevertheless, deep devotional treasures will be granted to us if we persevere.

One of the more unnoticed features of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of Messiah is the number of references to his mother[1]. Each of these find fulfilment in the angelic announcement to Mary that she will give birth to a supernaturally conceived son (Luke 1:26-37)[2]. Jesus’ mother is a focal point of divine favour. Since God is speaking about unconditional blessing, it is appropriate to meditate on Mary’s place in the history of salvation as a bearer of grace.

The story of the conception and gestation of the Son of God is not simply an account of past history, but the Spirit’s powerful testimony to Jesus’ present willingness to enter into and grow in our lives. This message is vital and transformational for our times, it signals a seismic shift in consciousness from outward religious devotion to awareness of the indwelling life of God. Mary’s significance is that she is the first person to undergo this monumental transition.

The Spirit of Glory and of God

The visitation of the angel Gabriel to Mary from heaven (Luke 1:26-33) breaks all ordinary expectations concerning the birth of the Davidic messiah. Whilst Gabriel’s message is wrapped in the language of Old Testament prophecy[3], an active role for Joseph, a man from the line of David, is completely omitted. Mary is placed in complete shock at this strange news and replies, “How will this be, since I have never known a man?” (1:34). Her puzzlement concerns neither “Why?” nor “Whether?”, but “How?” The angelic explanation invokes the sovereign power of God, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (1:35)

In the Old Testament the expression “come upon” used in relation to the Spirit of the LORD empowering judges and kings in the rule of God[4]. Similarly, the Messianic Servant of the LORD will global justice through the bestowal of the Spirit (Isa 11: 2; 42:1; 61:1).At a national level, Israel will be transformed from a desert experience to supernatural fruitfulness when “the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high” (Isa 32:15). All these images of the radical transformation of human society by the inbreaking of God’s great power must have filled Mary’s mind. The kingdom of God however is not only a matter of power, but of glory[5].

In saying, “the power of the Most High will overshadow you”, Gabriel invokes numerous allusions to the saving presence of God. Psalms 90:4, 139:8 speak of the “overshadowing” protection of God which guided his people through the wilderness. The Spirit – filled cloud of God’s glory (Isa 63:10-14) that led the people by pillar and fire (Ex 13:21) and settled over the tabernacle (Ex 40:35) is about to empower Mary to conceive in a manner that signals a new exodus. The arrival of the promised Son is beginning of God’s final work of redemption. Even the mighty Gabriel cannot contain himself at the immensity of the imminence of Christ’s coming, and repeatedly proclaims to Mary that she is the favoured of the Lord (Luke 1:28-30). All the aspirations of Israel are about to be realised in a way that exceeds all imaginings. The magnitude of the gift of Christ is summed up in the words, “therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (1:35)

The coming King is not simply “a son” (2 Sam 7:14) or “my son” (Ps 2:7) but “the Son of God.” Mary is the first human being to receive the revelation that God himself will enter into human flesh. The depths of such a revelation raised Mary’s consciousness to an unprecedented level of insight and elevated her faith to a measure of trust proportional to Jesus’ divine dignity. Hence her closing words to Gabriel, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” ” (Luke 1:38) Jesus will be born of this virgin because the extraordinary intense presence of God first transforms her own humanity.

A New Creation

The mention of the power of the Spirit of God and the utterance of his creative Word in the conception account harks back to the first creation story. The Lord created all things by his Spirit and spoken Word (Gen 1:1ff.). The Spirit who once hovered over the primeval waters now overshadows Mary in the same cloud of glory that enveloped the emerging world[6]. This means not only a new exodus but a new creation, a new creation that finds its origin and centre in the Son of God who is both divine and human. This new creation does not commence on the vast scale of space-time like the first creation, but in the microscopic life of Jesus in a mother’s womb at conception. It is a revelation of the infinite humility of God in descending to this level of lowliness[7] that imparts to Mary insight into the true depths of the divine glory, this is what makes her faith in a virgin conception possible.

Mary’s saving faith[8] is inspired by the revelation that God Almighty shall reduce himself to the fragility of a developing human being who lives in her! The declaration to Mary that she will be the mother of God-in-the-flesh (John 1:14; Rom 8:3) opens up a whole new way of understanding the relationship between the Creator and his creatures. Mary is conscious that in herself the eternal Creator –Redeemer God now lives as a human being. Indwelling this woman is another human life who is God himself. This amazing indwelling presence of God radiates divine truth to the spiritually discerning heart of Mary. Deep within her, in what we can only all her “spirit”, something even more majestic is unfolding.

Unnumbered Blessings

One famous rendition of the Song of Mary begins with “Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice”. This paraphrase captures something of the intensity of the miraculous conception of the Saviour of the world. The magnitude of such good news spills out beyond Mary’s personal experience when she visits the mother of John the Baptist.

“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”” (Luke 1:41-45)

It had already been foretold that John the Baptist would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). This promise becomes real when Elizabeth and her baby hear the voice of the mother of their “Lord” (1:43)[9]. The presence of Christ in Mary is communicated by the Spirit to John even whilst he is in the womb. Excited by the excitement of her baby, his mother Elizabeth cannot contain herself, and repeatedly states that Mary is “blessed” (1:42, 45) beyond all measure. The same Spirit that inspired these events in Mary’s life can impart their meaning and significance for us today.

Mary can only be blessed through sharing in the blessed life of God. In Hebraic thought only God is purely Blessed (Mark 14:61; 1 Tim 1:11; 6:15). Far in excess of all natural human imagining, by the miracle of grace, Mary, and all those who believe as she did in God-in-the-flesh, enter into communion with the Father’s eternal gift of life to his Son[10]. We have been put in touch with the Father’s eternal heart of life-giving love for Jesus. This love was poured out from eternity into time in the gift of Jesus as the child of Mary and the Saviour of the world. The implications of this truth are indescribable.

Magnificat[11]

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” ” (Luke 1:46-55)

Mary’s prophetic song about the just mercy of God is merely correct doctrine. Her soul is on fire with an awareness of the Lord exalting her from nothingness to fullness. Even more profoundly, she is aware of the God who does these things as a living presence within her. It is through the gift of the Son of God in her that all of the divine promises will ultimately come to pass (2 Cor 1:20).

As Mary’s soul and spirit is being transformed by the arrival of Jesus, she is being conformed to the properties of the eternal Word made flesh within. She is becoming more like the indwelling Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of adoption (Gal 4:4-6) that fills her inner being. Mary is becoming more and more like God (Col 3:10) through sensitive obedience to the life of God which surrounds her and now lives within her.

The same must be said about us. When Paul says of his conversion, “(God) was pleased to reveal his Son in me” (Gal 1:16), he teaches that the spiritual virtues proclaimed in the Magnificat must be true of every Christian. In union with Christ we are to humbly fear God and turn away from the pursuit of mightiness, riches and pride, devoting our lives to filling “the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:50-53). Mary’s Song is a statement of what it means to be a Christian.

Conclusion

Mary prophetically declares concerning her own life, “from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). To call another “blessed” is to share the heart intention of the Father of all blessing. God our Father deeply desires for us to be empowered in the Spirit so as to declare Mary “blessed of the Lord” (Luke 1:41-45). Many forces however are at work in us resisting the Spirit’s urging.

We may be resistant to traditional emphases on Mary’s personal piety that lead the focus of the church away from Jesus. The truth however is that in receiving the Son of God by simple faith Mary is the model of what it means to be a Christian. Perhaps we find the accent on her virginity out of place with the culture of our time. Yet the innermost meaning of her virgin conception is God’s joy in multiplying blessing to the world through the grace-filled gift of his Son[12]. As always however, our resistance to the Spirit of God has to do with the identity of Jesus.

We grieve the Holy Spirit in not publicly pronouncing Mary “blessed of the Lord” because we resist the way of the cross. The overwhelming “Christmas” joy of the angelic proclamation to Mary cannot be divorced from the anguish of Christ’s death. The cost of Jesus taking on our flesh in the womb of Mary is that he must finally be separated from his all the blessings of his Father on the cross.

The cry of dereliction, ““My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Mark 15:34) quotes Psalm 22; which goes on to say, “Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?….Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” (Ps 22:1,9-10). Jesus had both God as his Father and Mary as the supremely favoured mother God had chosen for him. His death meant embracing every agony and losing every blessing, including the loss of the Father’s precious gift of his mother (John 19:25-27). The road that Jesus took for us began with the blaze of glory that surrounded the angelic visitation to Mary, and visibly climaxed in the final humiliation of “the loss of all things” (Phil 3:8). This however could not be the end.

The Lord himself taught, “‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”” (Acts 20:35). In giving his life over to his Father’s hands (Luke 23:46), in surrendering every temporal earthly blessing, not least the blessing of his mother, Jesus entered into the blessed state of resurrection from the dead. In this realm, the realm of him who is “blessed forever” (Rom 9:5), no blessing fades, ages or dies. In the ways of God the story of the blessed Mary leads from heaven to earth back to heaven again, not by the birth of Jesus alone, but by the way of death and resurrection, this is the full blessing of the story of Christmas.