The mystery and the miracle of the birth of Christ was the fulfillment of the promise that God would be with his people.

The very name Emmanuel means God with us, and Jesus Christ is our Emmanuel. In this study, Scott Pauley reminds us of our

ever-present Savior, God with us. One of the great dangers to truth is that you can give mental assent to it so you can acknowledge

it. You can say, yes, I believe that, but yet not let it affect your life like it ought to

affect your life. It has to be internalized and personalized. It has to become your own. And so it's one thing to say, oh, yes, yes, I believe God

came. Yes, I believe God is with us. Yes, I believe God is with me. But how is that truth

affecting your life? How have you responded to that? We return today to Luke chapter one, because

Mary gives, I think, the great illustration for us all.

We learned yesterday that she responded in faith.

Isn't that where every good thing starts?

You have to begin with simple faith in God and believing the Lord, trusting the Lord, depending on the Lord, submitting to the Lord.

That's faith.

Then we go a step further. And today we learn

in Mary's own words to respond in worship. Let's let her speak for herself, because in Luke

chapter number one, we have Mary's great song of praise. Let me read just a little bit. And Mary said,

verse 46, my soul doth magnify the Lord,

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior, for he hath regarded the lowest state of his

handmaiden, for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty

hath done to me great things, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He has showed strength with his arm.

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.

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