God of the Turnaround
Luke 1:26-28, 32-33
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
There only ever was one baby Jesus. God sent him once. He is not going to send him again in this fashion. This was a once in a lifetime experience. Note that the messenger is significant. God sent the angel Gabriel. Out of all the angels he could have chosen among the archangels, he sent Gabriel. If it was not enough for him to send his Son, he also sent an angel to announce him. He could have sent him with no warning at all, but God is always a gentleman. He will not barge down your door, use your woman, borrow your boat, and take over your family without your consent as in Revelation 3:20. This is why God sent the angels to prepare these people for what would happen. He had a purpose for saving the world that required their consent to be part of his plan.
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Joseph had the choice at any time to divorce Mary and forget all about her as seen in Matthew 1:19. Mary had the choice at any time to be rid of her baby and to take her own life. Mary even had the choice to say no when the angels came. See, she could have said 'please pick someone else.' The hometown is significant and the family important. If you do not think God knows who you are, where you live, and what you do you are most certainly mistaken. In Chinese culture they list the province, city, town, and family when writing addresses or naming people. Here, Jesus sent the angels to the right place and person whom he knew would carry out his plan. God caused the situation to work together for good according to Romans 8:28. It was not just a mistake or a horrible situation. Nazareth was known as a place where nothing good came from as in John 1:46. Notice the family whose rule as David's descendants ended long ago; however, they lived in the shadows of the Roman rule according to Jeremiah 33:17. Now, these descendants sat in the shadows of nobody in no place doing nothing while the rest of the world bypassed them. God had not forgotten them as Isaiah 49:15 states. The nation had forgotten God and turned their back on him, but he had not. Thank God that his mercies are new every morning and "great is his faithfulness" as in Lamentations 3:22-23.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Notice the message: "the Lord is with you." Mary is highly favored because of the Lord's presence. She is not favored because of what she had done not which is nothing but knowing no man. The Lord was with her. The turnaround and the saving of the world was all made possible because of his presence. Mary should have stormed off in a huff and said the angel and the Lord had some audacity. Had not her family not been abandoned long ago by God and man? Look, in the presence of the Lord "is the fullness of joy" per Psalm 16:11. God turns the situation and the attitudes of the people involved around. The angel told Mary in Luke 1:30, "you have found favor with God." In the middle of the attitude, the mess, and the situation, God still finds favor with man. Man finds favor with God. The redemption of the world started with this one heart and this little family. Note what happened to Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, as told in Luke 1:36. Here she is barren and married to a priest in the temple. Her husband was supposed to give her everything but lost it all in the service of God. The bitterness of Elizabeth and the testimony of a woman too late to have a child would have impacted Mary. This and their situation would have affected the whole family.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
God turned their situation around and brought it to an end. The king has arrived in the house. The family of David is still bearing the lineage of Christ according to Matthew 2:6 and Luke 2:11. God's promises have come to pass. God has finally spoken to man after four-hundred years of silence. The tragedies this family has suffered are about to be erased in the presence of the Lord of hosts. They hosted Jesus the Lord God who possessed "the throne of his father David" and a kingdom that would "never end." Your story has met Jesus. He has turned all things around for his glory and your ultimate good as Genesis 50:20 teaches. He also did this "to save a great many people alive." God turned around the situation meant for great evil into a greater good. Notice his purpose to save the world as in John 3:17. In his "presence is fullness of joy" according to Psalm 16:11. I do not think Elizabeth was so bitter or angry anymore neither were Mary and Joseph. They were not sad or defeated anymore. If God had visited their house, gave them his Son to raise, and restored their family fortunes, what was there he could not do. Mary remembered this blessing. No matter whether now or at the cross, she kept these things "and pondered them in her heart" as Luke 2:19 suggests. God had visited and was turning all things around. Remember, at the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, these angels in white just seem to keep hanging around in Matthew 28:2-4. Whether rolling away the stone from the tomb, while the guards fall over backwards like dead men who saw the Lord, or appearing right after he went back to Heaven to talk about him and his time schedules loudly in front of his disciples, they sure seem to serve him. How much more should we serve him considering all that he has done.