Mary responded,
“I am the Lord’s servant.
May everything you have said about me come true.”
And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 NLT
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“Mary knew God loved her.
From the moment Gabriel appeared to her,
Mary has a distinct sense
that God’s presence was with her and His hand upon her.
She didn’t understand everything that was happening,
but she was certain that God would be with her through it all.”
Stormie Omartian
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Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
Luke 1:46-48 NLT
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“Mary didn’t praise God because she was excited and unafraid.
She praised God because she knew what was true,
and she was choosing to hope in it.
What this tells us is that Christmas is not about feelings.
It’s not about nostalgia or parties or ‘all the feels’.
Advent and Christmas are about proclaiming what we know is true.
This is a season when we praise God
and thank God for what He has done and what He will do,
not because it’s how we feel, but because it’s true.”
Sharon Hodde Miller