You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Luke 1:31
It seems fitting to start at the beginning, with His given name - Jesus. The angel Gabriel gave Mary the name for her son, before she was even pregnant. The Hebrew version is Yeshua, which means “to rescue” or “to deliver”. For Jews in Jesus’ time names were very important, they revealed something about the person. So, Mary must have realized instantly that her baby would be different. Her baby would rescue her people, deliver them from bondage. I imagine the sound of a gasp escaping from her lips at this news. She was just a poor girl from Nazareth engaged to a carpenter! Who was she to be the mother of the Divine Deliverer? I sometimes wonder who am I that I should step forward and lead others in ministry. I have no special training, no formal Biblical or Theological degree yet there I am standing in front of a group of people looking to me to lead them. How did I get here? There must be some kind of mistake. Well, if God can choose a poor, young girl from Nazareth to be His mother, I guess He can choose me to lead people, to help people encounter Him. If Mary can be His mother, Jesus can use anyone to deliver His love and His grace to the world. I think that is one of the important messages of Jesus’ birth, not only did he join us in humble surroundings he chose a poor, insignificant girl to bring him into this world. Just as she delivered Him, He delivers her and all who come to Him.
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