By Jake Thurston
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Christmas!
We know it all too well: Family traditions, shopping deals, hot chocolate, decorating fake trees, wearing sweatpants, gift-giving, Christmas caroling, snowball fights, eating way too many sugary goodies for our own good, and much, much more.
But above all the cultural festivities that come with this time of year, at the very top of the list is our remembrance of the Son of God coming to this earth as a baby. You know the story. An angel of the Lord, Gabriel, is sent by God to a virgin named Mary with news that would change the world. However, there is one thing about this event you might not have thought about:
Mary was called.
Her calling may look different from other Scriptural figures called to ministry, but Mary was called all the same. Let’s take a look at Mary’s Calling Profile, and talk about some key takeaways that can apply to your life.
1. Fear Is A Common Response.
Let’s read the beginning of this story in Luke 1:26-29:
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
How could Mary have been greatly troubled that an angel of the Lord showed up to her? I think a lot of us would be thrilled to hear from the Lord in such a direct manner. But let’s be real for a second. Mary was a good Jew. She believed in God and obeyed his commands. But for an angel of the Lord to manifest himself before her very eyes with a direct message from God would have been astonishing—an act that only happened to major characters in the Old Testament. Never once did she, an ordinary teenage girl, thought that an angel of the Lord would show up to her like this.
In our blog post titled 5 Ways Someone Is Called To Ministry, one of the ways God calls people is through a “Damascus Road” calling experience. This is when God calls someone through a radical, tangible means, such as hearing his voice, seeing a vision, having a vivid dream, experiencing the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, or—in Mary’s case—being visited by an angel. Although this type of calling is rare today, it does still happen. And a common response is fear.
Maybe you haven’t been visited by angels telling you what God’s going to do in your life. But chances are you have been pressed by God to do something radical that completely pushes the boundaries of your comfort zone. Fear, anxiety, and being “greatly troubled” are very common responses, because God is calling you to new territory you’ve never navigated before.
But hear me on this: Your fear does not disqualify you. But your fear should not control you.
In response to Mary’s fear, the angel says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30), and goes on to explain how God will follow through on his promise.
The same is true for you. Do not be afraid. If God has called you to it, he will see you through it.
2. Parenthood Is Ministry.
Let’s continue in Luke 1:34-37:
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
When we talk about receiving a call to ministry, we tend to focus on vocational ministry positions, like a pastor, evangelist, or a ministry leader at a nonprofit organization. But of course, ministry includes anything that involves serving others and making Christ known, like running a business, working in a coffee shop, or discipling another individual. And, in Mary’s case, parenting can be added to that ministry list.
Mary was not being called to a formal ministry position, like a priest, prophet, or religious leader. But arguably, she had one of the highest callings to ministry of any figure in Scripture: To give birth to the Son of God, and to parent him. She was called to be the mother of the Son of God—how crazy is that?
Obviously, not everyone is called to be a parent. But if you know you’d like to get married and have kids one day, you should know it is an extremely high calling to a form of lifetime discipleship: Raising your kids to be like Jesus. You have to clean up after your kids, discipline them when they do something wrong, teach them how to pray, and walk alongside them when life gets tough. Parenting is absolutely a form of ministry—in the deepest sense of the word. Granted, Mary had it easy, with Jesus being God and resisting all temptation to sin. But she had other children after Jesus, too. She knew this all too well.
If you are sensing a call to vocational ministry, and you know you’d like to be married and have kids one day, remember this: Your family is always your primary ministry. Not the church, not your business, not your organization, but your family. More on this another day.
3. Obedience. Obedience. Obedience.
Mary was afraid. There was a lot on the line. If she was found out to be pregnant before being married, she could’ve been excommunicated and divorced, amongst other serious consequences. Despite this, Mary still replied: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).
Mary submitted to God’s will. She could’ve ran away. But instead, she chose to remain as God’s servant, and following him no matter the cost. She obeyed his will for her life.
God’s calling to do radical things requires radical obedience. Perhaps he’s calling you to something that seems big, bold, and scary, and you have no idea how you’re going to do it or what people may think of you. Still, if you remain obedient to what God asks, then he will see you through it—and will amaze you at what he can do through you.
