T-21: Creation Conception

In response to Mary’s question, the angel Gabriel reveals God’s method and in so doing, brings the story of creation down to earth.

Our text today…

Luke 1:35 (NIV)
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be calleda the Son of God. [1]

In the beginning…. Perhaps the second most known verse of the Bible is the story of creation. You can complete that sentence without even thinking about it… God created the heavens and the earth. But don’t stop there, read the next verse… “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” There, right there is a picture of God. Can you see it? The Spirit of God hovering over the Earth. Then by the power of His Will, by the speaking of His voice, by His word came all that we know; it was creation, light and dark, land and see, vegetable, mineral, animal and ultimately man.

In the passage today, we seem to have come full circle. The creation of Earth marked the beginning of the Law and a long history of pain, suffering, stupidity and sin which was man’s contribution. As the Angel announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God, the plan of our loving Father comes to maturity. “The Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” The Spirit of God will hover over you. Creation, or in this case, conception will occur; a miracle will be made manifest and the prophesies of the ages will be fulfilled.

My friend, Scott Brady, asked me if I thought this event explained how we are each reborn into the family of God. After careful consideration and prayer, I believe he has a valid point. The creation of Earth began with the Spirit of God hovering over the earth; formless, empty and dark. The conception of Christ occurred by the Spirit of God hovering over Mary whose womb was empty and dark. My own understanding of God, the realization of my justification by the blood of Christ, occurred when the Spirit of God hovered over me. Me, whose life was formless, empty and dark.

The darkness of the original void was shattered when God said “Let there be light.” The darkness of the world was shattered when God said, by way of Gabriel, ‘you will give birth to a son.’ The darkness of my soul was penetrated, revealed and destroyed when God said “come to me.”

In these three similar yet distinct miracles of creation is revealed a perception of our conception in Christ. The Spirit of God hovered over the earth. The Spirit of God hovered over the virgin Mary. The Spirit of God hovered over you. Perhaps the Spirit of God is hovering over you now about to awaken a miracle in you.

As the earth yielded to the will of God, as Mary yielded to the will of God, so too should we, believer and believer-to-be yield to God.


Regards,
Carl
P Please consider your environmental responsibility before printing this e-mail

a Or So the child to be born will be called holy,

[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.