God's Gift Of Grace

Whether you are on the giving or receiving end, exchanging gifts is enjoyable, especially around Christmas. If you purchase the present, most likely thought and time went into the task. At the same time, a thankful attitude follows if you are the person getting the gift. We can safely assume that similar feelings and expressions regarding God's grace are in play. Scripture clarifies that we are recipients of grace, and God is the dispenser.
The word grace comes from the Greek word "charis," which means blessing, kindness, and unmerited favor. You will find that grace is a significant and steady theme throughout the Bible.

Thus, it should be no surprise that grace is a big part of the Christmas narrative. Luke 1:26-28 records the angel Gabriel's historic visit to inform Mary about God's plan for her to be the mother of our Lord. Luke reports, "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.' "

By way of Mary's first-hand account of this angelic visitation, the timeline "In the sixth month" references Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy. Next, Luke, the historian, documents that Mary and Joseph were engaged, yet to be married. That is an essential piece of information as far as messianic prophecy is concerned. See, Jesus had to check all the boxes associated with the first coming of the promised Messiah, with a virgin birth being among the most notable Old Testament predictions.

Finally, notice the greeting that Gabriel gave to Mary. He referred to her as a "favored woman." The word favored is what we call a synonym for grace. Gabriel was telling Mary that God's grace was upon her. There are two facets of Gabriel's declaration.
First, God extended saving grace to Mary. Like countless Old Testament believers before her, Mary was drawn to the Lord by His grace and ultimately followed His leading. She understood that it was God alone who gave grace and mercy. Secondly, you can describe the Lord's favor on Mary as a blessing of trust. Only God knows the heart and mind of a person. He saw something in Mary, much like He did with Moses, David, Daniel, Hannah, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Joseph. That something was no doubt her faith and obedience to Him.
Knowing this, we see that Mary was the beneficiary of God's grace. God is still blessing people with His grace today. Our salvation is by grace; every serving opportunity God gives us exemplifies His favor.

Therefore, let us be grateful for God's gift of grace this Christmas season!