Transcript

Podcast Introduction

This is Day 8 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me, the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.

Be sure to keep listening because James and I will be announcing a contest that is coming up on this Friday’s show, the 9th of September. 

Every day from now to christmas day, you’ll hear an episode from the 2009 season. If you’re  not yet subscribed or following the show, you can do that at lifespringwhychristmas.show.

And if you enjoy the show and would like to give some value back, you can do so at lifespringwhychristmas.show/support.

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

Notes

Today we learn a little bit about how Jesus' mother Mary found out that she would bear the Son of the Most High.

Mary was very young to be having a baby by today's standards about 14 to 16 years of age when she gave birth to Jesus. But this was a very common age for young women to be engaged in marry in biblical times. So the Son of God was the son of a teenage mother. Joseph is thought to have been slightly older around 30 or so. Joseph and Mary were a very average couple in Israel at the time. They were probably quite poor. Joseph was a carpenter and his job was seen by some religious leaders as a religious duty rather than as a profession. both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David of Israel, but at this time, his family was in the poorest state it had ever been. And Mary was also related to the traditional priest families of Israel through her cousin Elizabeth, Nazareth, the town where they lived was a small hill town on a caravan route through the country. So a wide range of people would travel and visit a town like Nazareth. Now under Jewish law and engagement, like Joseph and Mary's was treated almost like a marriage and could only be broken by an official divorce. One day the angel Gabriel visited Mary Gabriel is a very special angel since He is God's chief messenger Angel, and only appears two very important people in the Bible. The first thing that Gabriel spoke to Mary was greetings you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you. And these are very important words, because highly favored means God's holy grace is upon you. And this is a divine blessing from God, something that would have never normally been said to a peasant girl like Mary, she would most likely been very scared by this. And that's why Gabrielle said to her, Do not be afraid. He went on to tell Mary that she would become pregnant and would have a son whom she was to give the name Jesus, and he would be a great man, and he would be called the Son of God, and that God would make him king and that he would reign forever. Well, since Mary had never been with a man, she asked Gabrielle how this would come to pass. And then Gabriel told her one of the most amazing and wonderful things ever said, Gabriel told Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And then Mary, being the humble girl that she was said, I am the LORD servant. May it be to me as you have said, and with that the angel left her. And then Mary gave one of the most beautiful expressions of praise ever given. I don't have time on today's show to share it with you, but you can read it for yourself and the New Testament book of Luke, First Chapter, Verses 46 through 55. Thank you for joining me today. Tomorrow, James and I will both be here and we're going to tell you how you might win a signed copy of Brian Duncan's Neil's soul Christmas CD is going to be fun. Today,