God, tell me a story about…a woman

Mary

“But nothing is impossible for God”

Luke 1: 37

Read Luke 1: 26-38

1 – In today’s story we meet Mary. What do you know about Mary?

2 – Now Mary’s story is very popular, we tell it every year at Christmas because it is the story of how God sent us His Son, Jesus. But, for a moment, let’s focus on how Mary may have felt over the course of her story.

  • #1 – (verse 27) She sees an angel. Have you ever seen an angel? How do you think she felt when the angel first arrived in front of her?
  • #2 –  (verse 28) The angel tells her she has been chosen by God. Wow! How do you think Mary felt at that point? How do you feel when you get chosen for special tasks?
  • #3 – (verse 31 and 34-35) The angel tells her that she will become pregnant, but this is impossible, because she is not married. Do impossible things happen? Pigs don’t fly. Flowers don’t grow without sunlight. Fish don’t speak. Do you think Mary believed in the impossible? What is she thinking at this point?
  • #4 – (verse 32) She is told her son would be God’s son and he would be a king. Try to imagine what Mary would have been thinking at this point. What does a king baby that belongs to God look like? What would he need?
  • #5 – (verse 38) Mary agrees. She tells the angel that she is God’s servant, therefore she will do whatever He asks. Have you ever agreed to do something, even though you really didn’t know what you were agreeing to? Gone to a new school? Had a new teacher? Tried a new food? A new babysitter? A new sport? How do you think Mary felt at this point?
  • #6 – Now, the angel leaves, but Mary’s story doesn’t end. Remember, the impossible has just happened. She now needs to try to explain the impossible to her family, her friends, Joseph her fiancé… Have you ever tried to convince someone that pigs can fly? How did it go? Did people believe you? Mary must have had a lot of difficult conversations and probably been called a lot of mean names. How do you think she felt at this point?

3 – So, now we’ve seen that Mary probably had feelings of fear, confusion, disbelief, doubt, wonder, etc… But, in the end, she does trust God, she shows us that she was courageous and faithful. Do you have courage and faith like Mary? Do you do the things God asks you to do? God had a plan for Mary and He has a plan for you too. Are you ready to serve God just like Mary did?

This week’s challenge

Pray that you will be courageous and faithful like Mary and that you will trust God and serve Him always.

This is a nice little video on the story of Christmas.