December 2025 Writen by Amy Davies
Mary’s Christmas Encounter
Welcome to a special Christmas edition of Flourish, exploring what it means to be ‘Rooted in Faith and Worship’.
As we learnt last edition, to be rooted in Christ is essential to fulfilling our potential for growth, and to become rooted, we need to be nourished - fed by the Word of God. Yet nourishment is not the only way to grow deep roots. It is one thing to hear the Word, but another completely to actually do the Word - putting faith into action. Without faith and obedience, we would remain stuck, hearing but never listening. Taking but never truly receiving.
One woman in the Bible who demonstrated incredible faith and obedience was Mary, mother of Jesus. Let’s walk with her through the incredible journey of the Hush and the Rush of that very first Christmas.
Divine Interruption
We first find Mary in Luke Chapter 1. Mary was an ordinary young woman. Research suggests, in line with the customs of the day, that she may have been aged between around 12-16 years. A young bride-to-be. Fairly shocking in today’s society, yet young betrothal and motherhood were commonplace in those times.
‘In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”’
Mary was going about her daily activity, when she woke up it was just another day - no expectation of the miraculous that was to come. Yet into her ordinary shone a light from Heaven. Imagine the scene, Mary, minding her own business, when out of nowhere, an angel of the Lord appears with incredible words... "Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you." It is easy to read this familiar passage and be unphased, we know it so well. But I wonder if your perspective would change if you imagine yourself in Mary's place. An angel of the Lord - totally extraordinary! A divine interruption into the mundane. I would think I was going mad, what was this heavenly being in front of me, and why, of all the people in the world, was it talking to the likes of me?! It's no wonder Mary was ‘greatly troubled’.
I wonder if we are sitting in a place of trouble this season. Perhaps our minds are overwhelmed - the pace of life is too much, our body's exhausted, work challenges, financial difficulties, family feuds. We might be Christians, but none are immune to the trial of trouble. There's quite a tension to that truth. How does a loving Father allow disappointments and despair? How do we, as believers, respond in times of doubt and testing?
Perhaps we could learn from Mary and her godly encounter.
A Heavenly Exchange
The first thing that strikes me are the words of the angel “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God.” How often does trouble come and we find ourselves immediately spiralling into panic and fear? Yet the phrase ‘Do not fear’ or words to that effect are found threaded through God’s story right from Abraham in the beginning, to the disciples walking with Jesus himself. Isaiah 9:6 describes Jesus as the ‘Prince of Peace’. I know the presence of fear all too well, and I have never experienced peace directly alongside. It’s one or the other. I have often heard it said ‘There’s nothing we can do but pray’ - all other options exhausted. Perhaps in those moments of trouble, turning first in simple prayer to the One who holds us in His loving arms would provide the very peace we need to endure. God is with us, always, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. What a promise to behold!
Imagine Mary - troubled and fearful, confused and overwhelmed - let’s not bypass the enormity of this revelation. A visiting angel, news she will carry the Saviour of the World.
Mary asked a simple question, on the lips of each one of us - how? How can this be? How do I know? How will things ever change? How did I get into this mess? It can feel wrong to question Almighty God, Maker of the Universe. Yet Mary does just that. It’s human nature to seek to understand and work it out for ourselves. God knows our hearts, He created each one of us as unique individuals. For some, trust may come easily, for others, it’s a daily act of surrender. Think back to King David - he was full of emotional outbursts and questions about God’s goodness, yet David was deemed by God as a man after His own heart. I wonder if God actually celebrates the questions. Our God is a loving father, faithful friend, He longs for us to live in relationship with Him. The reality is, relationships are messy. They rely on honest conversation, on speaking and listening. A true friend has seen you at your worst, yet loves you still. As with God, we might feel angry, we might feel afraid, perhaps even abandoned, but as long as we are seeking His face, He is overjoyed. He delights in us, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Be real with God - He can take it!
Rooted in Faith
What comes next is an act of most extraordinary faith, as Mary responds “'I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” These words suggest to me that Mary knew the God she was choosing to serve, she was aware of the scriptures, spiritually mature for a woman so young. Rooted in her faith. How often do we hear and not act? I can be touched on Sunday, with words forgotten by Monday as I delve into another full diary of places to be, people to see. Faith re-ignited as I read God’s Word, only to be lost as I face the next trial awaiting me. Yet the root of faith is directly connected to the root of obedience. Mary heard and answered. She listened and obeyed. When we feel troubled, we can respond in faith. Faith in the One who can, when we cannot. Faith in the God of the impossible. Who knows, our small step of faith may move mountains to make way for the miraculous - just like Mary.
It’s fascinating to witness Mary’s simple act of faith and obedience. Totally awe-inspiring when you consider her situation. Summarised in so few words, this familiar story can lose the harsh realities experienced by the main characters. Imagine carrying a child not conceived by the man you were due to marry, betrothal was an official commitment to an exclusive relationship. By Mosaic law, infidelity would have significant consequences, certainly social disgrace, at worst execution. Imagine what faith it would take to trust and believe God’s Word - that unseen, in a world of such severe implications. Whilst becoming pregnant knowing she was a virgin would prove the miraculous, I wonder if she ever questioned God in the hardships experienced along the way. How could the birth of a Saviour be so painful, so lowly? It certainly brings some perspective to my own view of challenges in life.
What we see next from Mary is movement. Whilst there's a time to sit and listen, there is also a time to move. Note how she moves with urgency - hurrying to Elizabeth. Often we can feel the nudge of God, but it’s inconvenient, perhaps out of our comfort zone. We can put off what we feel called to do. Too much opposition can be created in our minds. Imagine if Mary had allowed the noise to overwhelm her. Surely there must have been countless questions filling her head, so many reasons to doubt - she was choosing to believe what to most would have been considered downright absurd! Yet aren’t we grateful she chose to rise above it all. Perhaps this Christmas we are invited to do the same.
Faith and obedience lead to action. I once took time to explore the concept of faith in people's interactions with Jesus throughout the New Testament. I used to think it was God who was failing me each time I didn't see a change. Why wasn’t he taking away my trouble? Did He not care? Then I found the movement of each character encountering Jesus. For every healing, for every miracle, there was an act of faith superseding it:
- The Roman Centurion spoke words of faith before Jesus healed his servant. (Matthew 8:5-13)
- The Bleeding Woman reached out to touch His cloak before the bleeding stopped. (Matthew 9:20-22)
- The Paralysed Man was obedient in getting up, taking his mat and walking home before seeing his healing. (Matthew 9:1-8)
- The Blind Men followed Jesus, calling to Him, believing before receiving. (Matthew 9:27-29)
- The boy gave up his lunch in faith, before it was multiplied to feed the five thousand. (John 6:1-15)
- Peter stepped out of the boat, onto the water before he knew he could walk on it. (Matthew 14:22-33)
Jesus, too, to complete the healing, acted in faith - He spoke, commanded, touched, took by the hand, drove out demons. Faith is not passive, but active. I wonder where we could begin to move in partnership with Jesus today?
In the midst of Mary’s challenges, she chose to move, in step with the promise that God's word never fails. Such faith does not go unseen, as Elizabeth pointed out, "Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfil His promise to her."
Rooted in Praise and Worship
God sees us in the hush. In those quiet moments of perseverance as storms rage all around us but we continue to trust in a God who cares, as we take a step of faith, however small, clinging onto the promise of His faithful love for us, even when we cannot see. Perhaps in those times, Mary’s next response can inspire us all. Amidst the doubts and the fears, the questions and the concerns, Mary chose to be rooted in praise.
As we have considered, Mary’s pregnancy would not have been easy, yet she remained rooted. Another definition of the word is to ‘stand rooted to the spot, immobile for fear or amazement’. I imagine Mary in quiet contemplation, following the confirming words of her cousin Elizabeth - overwhelmed with joy, awe and wonder at the most incredible nature of her Father God - to choose an ordinary young woman to carry the most precious gift ever given. What other way to respond than in worship and praise?
Perhaps in times of trouble we would benefit from doing the same. Reflecting on the majesty of our Lord and Saviour. Remembering all He has done, in the unfolding of His story, and that of our own. God’s word never fails, and as we recall His goodness and enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise, we shift the atmosphere from that of drowning in our difficulties to one of confidence in the One who holds it all. It can be a tricky truth to handle, but God is good all the time, even in the times of great pain and anguish, God’s nature does not change. As long as we are still breathing, there’s surely a reason for praise!
Rooted in Wonder
Into the rush, and the long, arduous journey. No cars, no planes - just their own two feet, and most likely a donkey to ease the strain for Mary. Research suggests the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem may have been as long as 90miles, taking anywhere between four days and a week. Heavily pregnant, Mary would have been exposed to the elements; crossing tricky, rugged terrain of hills and valleys, facing dangers along the way. As if the exhausting journey wasn’t enough, the couple arrived to find Bethlehem over-crowded, heaving with an influx of visitors due to the census, leaving them unable to be accommodated in a guest-house. What must have gone through Mary’s mind, I wonder, mother of a Saviour, left to give birth in a lowly environment, a stable or perhaps a cave.
Yet surely any doubt or question was soon overcome by the incredible events that were to follow. The arrival of the promised child, pursued by the shepherds and the wise men, their sheer joy and adoration - total strangers, full of awe - for what - a tiny baby wrapped up and lying in a manger? What an unusual scene! Amidst the mystery and the majestic, the celebration and the worship, in the rush, Mary made time for some hush, as she ‘treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.’ Luke 2:19
Rooted in Wonder - marvelling at the magnificence of the beautiful baby before her and the outrageous gift of love cradled in her arms. Hard to imagine, yet perhaps we can try. As you sit amongst the chaos; the overflowing bags, twinkling lights, reams of wrapping paper and gifts, as you immerse yourself in Christmas traditions, however you do your Christmas - find your own hush within the rush - take a moment to pause, to breathe and to take a look at the innocent baby, wrapped in cloths, lying content in His lowly manger. He came for you, and He came for me. The shepherds and kings - from the lowest to the highest - Jesus is presented to us all. He longs for us to come to the cradle, to bow down in worship and to receive His love afresh. Don’t let this busy time pass you by without reflecting on the true reason for the season - the Christ in Christmas.
