Mary—The First Witness to Christmas

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2025-12-24

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“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’” (Luke 1:38)

Photo by Daniel Von Appen on Unsplash

God’s Grace

Christmas began with a silent and solemn revelation. In Nazareth, an unremarkable town in Galilee, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young, unmarried woman named Mary, declaring the unprecedented news: God’s word would be fulfilled in her, implying that the Word would become flesh and she would be “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).

Mary’s calling was entirely an act of God’s grace. The angel’s message of “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28), reveals the true essence of grace. God’s initiative to draw near to people is not based on their qualifications or any preconditions, but on divine free love and election. God acts within the world’s ordinary rhythms, revealing divine glory in the commonplace.

Grace not only falls upon Mary, but through her also reaches all humanity. God began a new creation through this young woman—the Logos, through whom the world was once created, has now become flesh in this world. The Creator entered the created world as a human being. The mystery of “the Word becomes flesh” is thus revealed, as God and God’s love take on form, breath, and tears, sharing a common destiny, as well as weal and woe with humanity—with humanity being lifted in Christ.

Mary’s reply was concise and seemingly ordinary, yet full of faith. “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

The response marks a shift from passive recipient to active participant—not because Mary fully understood God’s message through the angel, nor because she grasped the entirety of God’s plan of salvation, nor because she had resolved every detail of what was announced to her, but because of her willingness. This willingness is obedience: a wholehearted submission to God.

God’s grace does not exclude human freedom; rather, it invites a faithful human response. Mary’s willingness thus becomes an echo of grace within salvation history. Salvation does not begin with humanity’s pursuit of God, but comes to fruition when a person freely responds and God brings it to fulfillment. A similar posture of obedience to God can be discerned in Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, “Yet not as I will, but yours.” (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42)

The power of God is not manifested through coercive force, but through gentle creation; not in domination, but in the love that brings things to fulfillment. God’s power enables a virgin to conceive, allows eternity to birth as a child, and bridges the separation between God and humanity, between the Creator and the created universe. Thus Mary sang in the Magnificat: “For the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name” (Luke 1:49). Her song becomes a testimony to grace and a hymn of faith.

From Bewilderment to Obedience

Mary’s faith was not innate, but gradually formed through her dialogue with the angel and through witnessing the sign given to Elizabeth. When the angel announced that she would conceive and bear a son, Mary’s first reaction was a question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) That was not an expression of disbelief, but a sincere response—an expression of her desire to understand what God was doing.

God responded with a deeper revelation to assure her: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35) God’s answer was not a logical explanation grounded in the order of the created world, but a promise of divine presence. God does not, dispel doubts through abstract reasoning or pre-established logic, but through the assurance of God’s presence.

The essence of faith lies not in fully comprehending God’s actions, but in trusting God’s presence.

Mary’s acceptance of God’s calling meant that she would soon face concrete social pressures. Her pregnancy could bring a fundamental change to her life and expose her to the risks of social judgement and legal order of her time. Her faith was thus tested amid very real fears.

However, God did not remove these risks, but sustained her heart through grace: “The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) These words become the anchor of her life. God’s presence does not guarantee a life free from hardship, but it assures that one will not be overwhelmed amid life’s storms. Mary bore weakness through faith, transformed fear through obedience, and embodied with the Word through actions.

Mary transformed her faith into faithful action. She “hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea” (Luke 1:39) to visit Elizabeth, who was with child. The journey was long and demanding, serving as a confirmation of her faith. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear” (Luke 1:42).

Elizabeth’s exclamation arose from within, as an expression of the faith she had received. She discerned “the Lord and the Lord’s mother”, and that shared confession of faith dispelled her sense of solitude. So, the Magnificat, a song that has resonated through the centuries, flowed from Mary’s lips: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”. The song is a testimony of faith, an echo of grace, and a witness to a journey from bewilderment to obedience.

Mary’s story illustrates that belief should not be understood as static, uniform, or solitary, but as a living journey experienced together with fellow believers. Her trajectory of faith went through the changes from doubting to praying, from fearing to trusting, and from hearing to obeying. Her faith is not a momentary flash of light, but a process continuously illuminated by grace.

The Fulfillment of God’s Work

When Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the history of salvation moved towards its fulfillment in time. In both body and spirit, she encountered the work of God—the Logos, once praised in heaven, was now taking flesh in human history; the eternity that transcends time enters the rhythm of the world through her life. Through her, God and the Word were uniquely embodied in human form for the first time.

“The time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:6-7) The Scriptures narrate this concisely yet profoundly.

The Lord’s birth did not take place in a holy temple, or an imperial palace but in an ordinary, easily overlooked place not even regarded as proper for humans. The light of eternity glimmered in the darkness, illuminating not only the world, but also the impoverished, the lonely, the marginalized, and the forgotten.

That night, Mary became the first to see the Savior and to hold God’s Logos in her arms. She saw the fulfillment of God’s promise and felt the weight of salvation with a mother’s heart.

When the shepherds came to worship, they marveled at the miracle, yet only Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 1:29; 2:19, 51). It is the posture of a faithful believer, not a loud testimony but a quiet contemplation. More precisely, it is a stance of one who has truly received God’s action yet cannot make it public, waiting and reflecting in silence until God acts.

Mary’s heart became a theological sanctuary, where she meditated on the meaning of salvation. Faith is not outward excitement, but inner reflection; not a momentary emotion, but enduring insight. In silence, Mary comprehended God’s work, and engaged in the salvation history through meditation.

Mary demonstrated a mature faith at the wedding feast in Cana. When she saw the wine had run out, she went to Jesus for a guidance. Although Jesus declined her request, she still did what she was supposed to do, telling the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

The Scripture exemplifies the high standard of faith for believers. Mary’s response marks a turning point in her faith—transforming from a recipient of faith to a proclaimer of faith. She was among the first witnesses to the incarnation, illustrating faith through obedience, sustaining hope through perseverance, and bearing witness to love through contemplation.

A Prayer for Christmas

The significance of Christmas does not lie in festive celebrations, but in the enduring life of faith. “May your words to me be fulfilled” is not a prayer exclusive to Mary’s generation, but for all believers. God’s Logos dwells in the heart of those who are willing to respond, and the miracle of incarnation continues in the lives of those who submit to God.

Christmas is not merely a one-time historical event, but a continuous reality: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Whenever individuals respond in faith to God’s will, the Logos takes shape in their lives; whenever individuals respond with love to God’s calling, salvation continues to manifest in the world. Mary’s willing obedience thus makes her become a model for all believers.

Today, as we revisit the story of Christmas by candlelight, and as we sing “Joy to the World”, we are invited to join Mary in uttering that prayer—not as a familiar formula, but as a commitment of faith: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your words to me be fulfilled”.

When these words are spoken anew, Christmas is no longer merely a remembrance, but becomes a reality; no longer only a season, but a calling. The Logos enters our time once again, and grace unfolds anew in the world.

May Christmas, in the life of every believer, become a continuing incarnation. May the light of God, as it once shone in the heart of Mary, illuminate our obedience and faith.

Author: Liu Ruomin

Translator: Bei Feng

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