But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor 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.”
Luke 1:30-33 NIV
Favour
According to CTV news, some Finnish people living in Canada say they favour Finland’s recent historic decision to seek NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Recently, the Finnish parliament resoundingly rubber-stamped the government’s decision to seek membership. Thunder Bay has the largest Finnish community outside of Finland and Finland’s honourary consul in that city recently told CTV that while he hadn’t heard of events or demonstrations for or against Finland’s move, he suspects much of the local community aligns itself with the decision.
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One of the most interesting phrases in the amazing story surrounding the birth of Jesus is something the angel said to Mary when he came to tell her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. In Luke 1:30-33 we read “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 for ever; his kingdom will never end.’” Mary had found favour with God. It was the dream of every young Hebrew woman to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary was chosen. We don’t know what she had specifically done to find favour with God, but there must have been consistency in her walk with Him. Every follower of Jesus longs for this to be true of each of us, hearing the Lord say to us, in this life and the next, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley