This marble artwork is the "Annunciation, Birth of Jesus and Adoration of the Shepherds" completed by Nicola Pisano in 1260. It is part of the marble baptistry in the town of Pisa.Luke 1:26-29
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Something new was happening in Mary and Joseph's life. The routine was broken. The old would be replaced by the new. This news troubled Mary - what would God have her do? We often become troubled when we have to break the routine, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. We're comfortable with the familiar, happy with the regular pattern.
The proof of it is in your holiday traditions. For instance, the Zockoll household has plenty of them. One of them is that I buy a small present for each family member to open on Thanksgiving Day to start the holiday season. We also enjoy the tradition of reading Scripture and giving testimonies at the Thanksgiving table each year. Then there's buying the tree - we'll do it this weekend. We start early, I know, but that's the way we are.
I used to have a private Christmas holiday tradition: I remember as a teen, I would walk the streets of our small town in Delaware, walking the whole perimeter of the town and seeing the homes of my friends and their families as they celebrated the night before the special holiday. It took a few hours but I always had this secret little tradition of seeing other people enjoying the holiday.
No doubt Mary and Jospeph had their routine. Wouldn't a craftsman such as Joseph have a normal day to day pattern? Yet God was about to turn their world upside down - and it would be great. They were ready. They were willing.
What if they had rejected the interference?
Ever think about it? What if they ignored and even ran from the announcment?
Many times I'm afraid we run from God's calling and we miss monumental opportunities in our lives to see God work in amazing ways. Have you been ready for the Lord's leading? Pray today that your heart would be ready for any new opportunity that God might send your way.
