Intro

What does it even mean to have faith? Let’s begin with the faith journey of those who lived the first Christmas. When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, the mother of Jesus, she doesn’t say, “Oh. This is just so amazing. This has to be the most awesome day of my life!” Rather, we read in Luke 1:29, “But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”

The words “greatly troubled” mean “very confused, deeply perplexed, and utterly confounded.” The words “tried to discern” are accounting words. The phrase means to take an audit. She’s adding things up, weighing, and pondering. “Am I really seeing an angel? How can this be?”

What would happen to you if God intervened in your life the way the angel broke into Mary’s life? What would happen to you if God interrupted your life the way COVID-19 has altered your life?

Questions for Reflection:

• In what ways have your losses in 2020 driven you deeper in your faith?
• How do you want to live in 2021? What are the steps of faith you need to take today to strengthen your relationship with Jesus and live into the future He has for you?