Lessons from Sunday School

Our Sunday School lesson yesterday was Luke 1:26-56, the Annunciation to Mary. Since our lesson last week had been the fortelling of the birth of John the Baptizer, I had the kids spend some time comparing the similarities and the differences in the accounts. One of the things that I really wanted them to pick up on was that unlike Zechariah - who doubted God's message to him - Mary unreservedly believed.


These kids surprise me sometimes. Not only did they notice right away that Zechariah doubted while Mary believed, they noticed something that I failed to pick up on: Zechariah, who doubted, was a priest, a "professional" if you will and Mary, who believed, was just a young, ordinary girl.


I think I've told you before that I teach the grade 5 kids. I love this age, because they are old enough that they are really starting to get it. They have such great questions and we can easily become sidetracked from the lesson if I'm not careful. But sometimes the "sidetrack" will take us places that are really powerful and I have an opportunity to really connect with them and really bring home a Scriptural truth to them. Today's observation that Mary was a nobody who believed was one of those opportunities.


Here's the thing: God chose Mary. Nothing about the Biblical account in either Matthew or Luke indicates that Mary was in any way special. There was nothing extraordinary about her to commend her as a candidate for Mother-of-God, but God chose her nonetheless. Upon hearing the news that she will carry the Son of the Most High in her womb, she believes right away. I wonder - did she believe because she already had great faith, or did hearing the Word create the faith that allowed her to believe? In any case, she believes and even asks how this thing will be accomplished. Gabriel's answer to her is telling: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." In other words, you're not going to do anything little girl, God's going to take care of making it happen.

This is what we believe happens in baptism: the Holy Spirit comes upon the one baptized to create saving faith. God accomplishes his purposes through his divinely appointed means.