Luke 1:30-33 – But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

When I first read about Mary's conception, and the subsequent birth of Jesus, I almost came undone. "God, is this really true?" For me the rubber hit my new road of faith – I had to believe it was true, or else I was a sham, blasted apart, because I could relate to this young girl, Mary. I was also 14 years old when I made what I call a "forever" decision to try sex, which resulted in a pregnancy. There the similarities ended, for my baby son was adopted. It was to be 38 years later before we met for the first time.

Mary's baby, on the other hand, was born the Messiah and became the Saviour of us all, especially me. But first, Mary had to endure the fear and loneliness of her "secret". Her people expected a King in a golden chariot and, instead, God sent a baby, a baby conceived under such weird circumstances that, much like the cynical Pharisees of old, academics would debate the conception through many generations.

While this debate continues, the event of the adult Jesus saving this sinner from killing herself in March 1988 was so starkly real and so terrifying that the circumstances of His conception and birth as a baby pale in comparison to His impact as the adult Messiah. Jesus still ignores the sceptics and continues to do the work of His Father in such a way that no one meeting Him can turn away unscathed.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the life of Jesus, who shows us all we can be, who loves us no matter what, and who died for our sins that we may have everlasting life – His Kingdom will never end. Amen.

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