Luke 1:28-31
Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
I recently watched a podcast in which three evangelical scholars talked about Mary. They were thorough in their dismantling of Mariolatry, the worship of Mary, but pondered whether Protestants have overcorrected a bit in ignoring her and leaving her to the Roman Catholics. These verses are a big help in this regard. The angel called her O favored one and assured her in her terror that the Lord was with her. The evidence of favored status is that she was chosen to bear Jesus, God the Son. This definitely puts her in a category all her own.
Yet, we have the wise men coming to the manger to worship Jesus, not Mary. She was a sinner saved by grace, through the faith in the baby in her womb. It is an extraordinary fact that we acknowledge only at Christmas but deserves more praise and study. She was favored in this way but we are also favored in a great way. The baby Jesus became a man and died for our sins, showing us favor and grace. We honor Mary as we honor Peter and Paul, but we do not pray to her or worship her. She simply served faithfully!
O Heavenly Father, you choose imperfect servants to take part in your perfect will and plan. We offer ourselves as Mary offered herself for your service. In Jesus’ name. Amen.