A l l P r a i s e B u l l e t i n
“DISPATCHING THE TRUTHS OF THE WORD OF GOD”

MARY: BLESSED AMONG WOMEN
By Chaplain Dave Purdle, Founder, Ministry 9-1-1

Luke 1:28: “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

Recently, we received a telephone call from our daughter, who proudly stated she was expecting her fourth child in April, 2012. A few days later, our son called and announced that he and his wife were expecting their first child in April, 2012 (in fact, both due dates are April 7th). Ultrasounds show that both young ladies are expecting boys. As you can imagine, both sets of parents (as well as their grandparents) are excited to see which one is born first, how much they weigh, and if they look like their Mom or their Dad (or Grandpa Purdle). My wife Brenda and I are happy about the prospect of being grandparents again (x2!).

As we look at Luke 1:26-35 and 46-56, Mary was to give birth to a Son. But this was a very special child and was to be conceived by a miraculous means. As an overview, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary with a message concerning the birth of Jesus. Mary lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and was pledged to be married, to Joseph at the time of the angel’s appearance.

Mary was “highly favored…blessed…among women.” The angel Gabriel said, “The Lord is with thee.” She had “found favor with God.” The Gospel narratives attribute to her none of the special titles that might have been ascribed to her. However, there is a tendency to play down the role of Mary, but the Scripture tells us that she was highly favored. Along the same lines, she was blessed among women, not above women. She is not lifted above women; she lifted up womanhood. This is the role she played. Eve brought sin into the world in the Garden of Eden, but it is equally important that it was a woman who brought the Saviour into the world. This Christmas, let us examine Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is my hope that this study will help us discover something about her faith and faithfulness, as well as considering some factors that contributed to her success as a mother.

First, Mary was chosen for a mission (Luke 1:28). As mentioned previously, Mary became the mother of Jesus by way of a miraculous conception. You see, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. That’s right…He had an earthly mother without an earthly father. Why? Because of His love for us, God chose to become flesh and blood. But in order to do so, He came as a baby, born by a miraculous virgin birth. Mary’s virginity was among several aspects that qualified her uniquely for becoming Jesus’ mother. Notice several thoughts illustrating our first point: Mary was a devout worshiper of the true God. Mary was pure in mind, heart, and body. Mary was humble, realizing her dependence on God. Mary was obedient to God’s will. Mary was willing to do what God had planned for her. Mary had an attitude of gratitude: she was thankful that God used her to further His work. Mary was consistent and self-controlled. These qualities were needed by Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. But they are qualities needed by modern mothers as well.

Not only chosen for a mission, Mary was chosen to be a model, an example for other mothers. Several examples demonstrate this point. Mary responded positively to God’s plan for her life: once she knew God’s will, she desired to participate as God had planned. Mary magnified the Lord in song for His goodness and mercy (vv. 46-56, a song, known as the “Magnificat”). Mary tells us in her song that she needed a Saviour and that she rejoiced in Him (v. 47). God put a song in the hearts of those who trust Him. In verse 49, we see that Mary worshipped an omnipotent and holy God: Mary’s God was not weak because He is Almighty and the Creator of the universe, and she responded to His authority. Moving ahead to verse 50, Mary worshipped the merciful God: God is absolutely sovereign in the conferral of His blessings. We should also remember that God wills to have mercy on all His creatures. Psalms 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Concluding this point, we see verse 54 of our text which illustrates that Mary worshipped the helping God. The psalmist described God as “a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). Mary felt this assistance from God. Thus she became a helper to Him in His work of helping others.

Then notice that Mary suffered the pains of motherhood. My wife and others who have given birth can tell you that much pain is associated with the birth experience. Even greater pains lie along the pathway of life for some mothers, and Mary endured these pains. When Jesus was 12 years old, Mary found it difficult to understand Him (Luke 2:49-50). Mind you, Jesus was not being disrespectful or a “smarty-pants.” Yet if she were alive today, Mary could sympathize with modern mothers of teenagers. Later, Mary’s other children were indifferent to Jesus’ true identity. They did not accept Him to be whom and what He really was until after His resurrection (Mark 3:21; John 7:2-5; Acts 1:14). No doubt, Mary felt much pain when Jesus was rejected by the people of His hometown of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55). But ultimately, Mary suffered the horrible shame of seeing her Son arrested, falsely accused, convicted, condemned, and crucified on the cross (cf. John 19:25). In no way can we fully comprehend the agony in Mary’s heart during these terrible hours of Jesus’ suffering.

Finally, Mary worshipped a risen and ruling Saviour. In Acts 1:14, it is interesting to note that this is the last time the New Testament Scriptures mention the mother of Jesus. Furthermore, it is most significant that she was among the company that waited in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit. From the few Scriptures we find about Mary in God’s Word, we know that she was but a sinner saved by grace, as were all the other women there. She waited in the upper room along with the others, and she had no more power than they. By the grace of God, she became a member of that first New Testament church, just as did the disciples and all of those present in the upper room at Pentecost. The minds and hearts of these early Christians were dedicated to meditation and their whole attention was directed toward God in prayer. They prayed with “one accord”…they were of one mind. This is the spirit which should prevail in our churches today, at all worship services and prayer meetings. Mary and the others give us the example that we should worship our risen Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was Mary’s glorious privilege to be the mother of the Son of God, to bring Him into the world. Lord-willing, as our grandsons are born sometime in April, 2012, it is our prayer that our children and their spouses will be godly examples in front of these little ones, and that they will someday trust Jesus Christ to be their Saviour and live for Him each and every day of their lives. But for Mary, the purpose of her Son, Jesus, was to be born to die—to die on the cross and pay for the sins of mankind—and then conquer death by His resurrection from the dead. As we read the familiar Christmas story from the pages of Scripture, I pray that you have received the greatest gift of all this Christmas season: salvation through the finished work of Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the reason for the season.

Sign seen in a department store:
“Make this a Christmas your spouse won’t forget. Charge everything”

Bible Trivia – The Book of Psalms
Find the Verse – Fill in the Blank (KJV)

1. “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee ___________ and ___________.”
2. “Rejoice the ____________ of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
3. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law __________ he meditate day and night.”
4. “Trust in the LORD, and do good; ____________ shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
5. “They that sow in tears shall ____________ in joy.”
6. “O ____________ the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”

Blooper in a church Christmas bulletin:
“The choir will sing I Heard the Bills on Christmas Day.”

Signing off…from home: The JOY of Christmas
From the 12/18/07 edition of “APB”

Many of us hear about the JOY of Christmas, but what is the JOY of Christmas? It is happiness? No, happiness is temporal—here today and gone tomorrow. So what is JOY you might ask? Here is a simple acrostic that might help.

J = Jesus…

Do you put Him first in all that you do? Do you depend upon Him to see you through the day? Do you thank Him for the day that He has given you? Have you put your faith and trust in Him?

O = Others…

Do you think of others first before yourself? There are so many out in the world that have nothing. Do you think to try to help them? How about the senior citizen that may have no one to visit them for Christmas? If you look, there are others around.

Y = You…

If you put yourself last, then you will learn the true meaning of the word JOY. We hear so often, “You need to put yourself first” and “Look out for number one,” but that doesn’t bring you joy.

“These things have I spoken unto you, that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:11-13).

My hope is that you have the true JOY of Christmas this year.

Merry Christmas,
Brenda Purdle
Ministry Partner

The second-grade class presented a Nativity play shortly before Christmas. When Joseph came to the inn and asked if there was room at the inn, the little boy playing the innkeeper replied, “You’re lucky. We just had a cancellation.”

WISHING EACH OF YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR

MINISTRY 9-1-1
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As a representative of your agency, thank you for allowing us to send this newsletter to you. Please read and enjoy; feel free to pass it along to other dispatchers in your department. Ministry 9-1-1 is a non-profit, volunteer evangelistic and counseling outreach specifically for 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Call or write if we can be of any assistance to you or your agency.

Bible Trivia answers: 1) Psalm 71:14; more [both blanks]; 2) Psalm 86:4; soul; 3) Psalm 1:2; doth; 4) Psalm 37:3; so; 5) Psalm 126:5; reap; 6) Psalm 34:3; magnify