Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/420759
December 8 Luke 1:26–38 Why Tim Dolan, PhD Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program & Associate Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Ministry W hy did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? Mary was a good person, but there were undoubtedly many good people that God could have chosen for this great honor. I suspect God found Mary to be the ideal candidate because she was a person of deep faith and humility. Luke says that when the angel told Mary that she was "highly favored," Mary was "greatly troubled" and wondered what this greeting meant. I don't think she was troubled because she doubted his words but simply because she did not think herself worthy of such an honor. Later she said to the angel, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." I believe it was this attitude of faith and deep humility that God found to be valuable in Mary's life, and that God looks for in our lives as well. I also think God chose Mary because she was a person who practiced purity in her personal life. After the angel Gabriel told her that she would give birth to a special child, she said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Mary was a woman who used her body in the way God created it to be used. She had not abused her body through premarital sexual activity, and therefore God used her as a sacred vessel for this holy and special purpose. In this day and age of widespread sexual impurity and promiscuity, especially premarital and extramarital sex, Mary stands out as a shining example of holiness and purity for us to follow. Finally, I think God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus because she was willing to obey Him. She was willing to trust in and follow the Lord even with something that seemed impossible. I would guess that "I am the Lord's servant" are words that God longs to hear on each of our lips. God's choice of Mary says to us that what God finds most valuable in His people is not talent or intelligence or fame or wealth or popularity or beauty—as good as those things can be. Rather, what He values the most is obedience. 3 Mary?