Luke 1:26-33

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.32He 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, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Considering her circumstances under which the angel Gabriel tells Mary, the teenage virgin, not to be afraid, it would seem that she had plenty of reason to fear. For one, this was an angelic visit and angels tended to frighten people when they manifested themselves throughout the Bible. The message Gabriel brought was a scary message – Mary was about to become pregnant even though she was unmarried and had never had sexual relations with anyone. She was going to carry the Messiah in her womb and give birth to the King who would rule forever. What was unspoken and perhaps not clear to young Mary was that people would look at here with suspicion and even disdain for her apparent immorality. Her life was about to become very complicated. The reason the angel said not to be afraid though is very important: “because you have found favor with God.” Though Mary might end up out of favor with her husband-to-be, out of favor with her parents, out of favor with people in her village, she had none the less found favor with God Himself. Finding favor with God can allow us to face the disfavor of others without fear.

Isaiah 2:2-5

In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Patrick did a nice job of presenting the concept of the “Already but Not Yet” in Day 4's entry. This is another great illustration of the prophecy being already fulfilled at one level though not yet completely fulfilled. Isaiah 2 was written over 500 years before the birth of Christ and we see fulfillment of the already - “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we saw many nations coming not only to Jerusalem but to Christ on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Yet with the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sudan and so many other war-torn parts of the world, we still see a large “not yet” that we long for even though we cannot see it on the horizon.

What we want to be sure not to miss is our own possible role in God bringing these words to completion. Though the temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed, we as members of the Body of Christ are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6). Born-again believers all over the world now constitute the House of the Lord. Check out Ephesians 2:11-20. We have the calling and privilege of showing how God in Christ is able to reconcile people who ordinarily wouldn't get along. We have the opportunity to teach His ways and walk in His paths. How I long to see peoples from all nations streaming to the House of the Lord. It will be worth the wait.

DAY 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16 (New International Version)

14 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.'

This prophetic text is set in the context of a divided kingdom – the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. At the time, Zedekiah,whose name means “the Lord is my righteousness” was king of Judah. However, Zedekiah was not living up to his name. Part of Jeremiah's call is to declare God's judgment against evil kings like Zedekiah. More than merely denouncing evil, God reiterates His promise to bring forth a righteous king from King David's line. “Branch” is a Messianic title. Unlike the current kings, this Messiah King will do what is just and right. He will reunite the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah; the promise is for both of them. At that time, God's people themselves will receive the name “The Lord is Our Righteousness.”

Even hundreds of years before the birth of the Christ child, God made it clear that our righteousness is found in Him and not in our own efforts. Thanks be to God for this gift of His love.