Tuesday Read: September 8 - The Nativity of Mary
Today the church celebrates the Nativity of Mary - one of only three birth dates commemorated in the Christian calendar (Jesus on December 25, John the Baptist on June 24, and Mary on September 8). While Scripture records nothing about Mary's birth, Christian tradition dating to the second century identifies her parents as Joachim and Anne, elderly and childless until God miraculously gave them a daughter who would bear the Messiah.
The story, preserved in the Protoevangelium of James (written around 150 AD), parallels other biblical birth narratives. Like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth, Anne was barren - unable to conceive in a culture where childlessness brought shame and suggested divine disfavor. Joachim fasted and prayed in the wilderness while Anne grieved at home. Then angels appeared to both, announcing that Anne would conceive a daughter "who shall be spoken of in all the world."
Whether historically accurate or theological storytelling (most scholars consider it the latter), this tradition emphasizes an important truth: Mary's birth was the beginning of God's rescue plan coming to completion. For centuries, Israel waited for Messiah. Prophets promised deliverance. Generations died without seeing it. Then God prepared a young woman in Nazareth who would say yes to the impossible.
Luke records what we know for certain about Mary. She was young - probably 13-15, typical marriage age in first-century Jewish culture. She was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter. She lived in Nazareth, an insignificant Galilean village (Nathanael later asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"). By every measure, she was ordinary - no wealth, no status, no power, no influence beyond her small village.
Then the angel Gabriel appeared: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). Mary was "greatly troubled" - not by seeing an angel but by the greeting itself. Why would she be "highly favored"? What had she done to deserve God's favor? Nothing. That's the point. God's favor isn't earned through achievement but freely given through grace.
Gabriel explained: "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:31-32). This was impossible. Mary wasn't married. She was a virgin. Yet Gabriel said, "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Mary's response reveals remarkable faith: "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38).
Consider what Mary accepted. Pregnancy outside marriage could mean being stoned to death under Mosaic law. At minimum, it meant shame, disgrace, rejection. Joseph could divorce her. Her family could disown her. The community could shun her. She had no guarantees how this would work out - just an angel's promise that seemed impossible.
Yet she said yes. Not "let me think about it," not "can I negotiate the terms," but simple submission: "I am the Lord's servant." This is faith - trusting God when his plan seems impossible, when obedience is costly, when you can't see how it will work out. Mary didn't understand how a virgin could conceive. She trusted God could do what he promised.
After visiting Elizabeth, Mary sang what we call the Magnificat: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant" (Luke 1:46-48). God chose a humble servant from an insignificant village to accomplish his greatest work - the incarnation of his Son.
This challenges assumptions about how God works. We expect God to use the powerful, the educated, the influential, the wealthy. He chose Mary - young, poor, female, from nowhere important. We think God needs our résumés, our accomplishments, our credentials. He needs our availability, our obedience, our willingness to say yes when he calls.
Mary's qualification wasn't her perfection but her submission. She became "blessed among women" not because she earned it but because she trusted God's word when it seemed impossible. God still works this way - through ordinary people who trust him with impossible assignments, through humble servants who say yes despite uncertainty, through those who believe nothing is impossible with God.
What impossible thing is God asking of you? What assignment seems beyond your capacity? What calling feels too big for your qualifications? Mary shows that God doesn't need your perfection or credentials - he needs your yes. When you trust God with the impossible, he can accomplish through you what seems beyond imagination.
