The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
As important as is the true meaning of Christmas, there is a backstory. It is one of a teenage couple whom God used to usher in the Messiah and his purpose for humanity. It is also the first time that God spoke or revealed himself to humanity in over 400 years since the time of the prophet Malachi in the Old Testament.
Imagine hearing these words spoken to Mary after four centuries of silence from the angel Gabriel sent from God: “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you…Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end”(Luke 1:26-33). Mary responded,” I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38).
After Mary told young Joseph what had happened, an angel appeared to him in a dream saying,”Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save people from their sins”(Matthew 1:20-21).
Mary and Joseph responded with humility and faith and considered it to be a “divine appointment” with God. Of all the couples at that time, one can only wonder why God singled them out. But this begs the question: Why would God want to use any of us to accomplish his purposes for humanity? It is all because of his redeeming grace. The other question is, how would you or I respond after 400 hundred years of God’s silence?
Author James A. Harnish writes, “The virgin point was when Mary said yes and became part of God’s saving work in the world…and the coming of Jesus changed Joseph’s plans so that he could participate in God’s plan. The Bible calls that obedience.” * Little did Mary and Joseph know at the time how much of a difference their obedience would make in God’s plan for humanity!
God has used many couples in our day and age to be part of his plan. He has called couples to start churches, para-church ministries, missionary organizations, write Christian books, start hospitals, and many more things. Perhaps you are a couple reading this article, and God has something in store for you. Have you had a compassion or a burning desire for a specific ministry? You probably won’t have an angel speak to you, but you might have the Holy Spirit prompting you, and then confirmed by other people that this is a ministry God is calling you to do that will be part of God’s redemption for humanity.
Are you ready to be another Mary and Joseph?
*James A. Harnish, When God Comes Down, Abington Press, 2012, pages 24-28
