“Born of the Virgin Mary” 

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14 (AV)

The enigmatic phrase which flowed from the prophet’s pen, impacting the scroll upon which the Spirit of God, through him, was writing; broke, once more, upon his consciousness, like a rapturous wave of comprehension, only to be dashed, afresh, against the cold stones of obscurity. Isaiah wondered at the words, now committed to parchment, as if by another hand; with the trusting perplexity of a toddler who, upon catching his reflection in a glass, leaps in joyful recognition, then proceeds in search of the substance behind the image.  In vain does the prophet search; whose words are not for his discernment, but for that of a generation yet to be[1].

It is not mere logic that stands behind the promise of a virgin birth, for the mind of man to fathom and to find, but rather the unseen power of the Most High,[2] by which man himself is brought into being and by which all creation stands.[3]  Thus the sign, once spoken to a frivolous monarch, enters into the possession of the common people as a written pledge, grounded in merciful love and in the omnipotence of Heaven’s unrivalled King[4].

Across a boundless sea of glass, [5]upon which no ship of man has ever sailed, but over which crystal ocean divine heralds are forever summoned and sent; comes the Archangel to the Eternal Throne, to receive from the Holy Potentate, a most sacred mission. As the attendant seraph, in reverence kneels; a terrible glory enfolds the Sovereign Seat, as the Godhead, through the Eternal Son, accedes to stoop below the angelic estate[6], and enter, by means of sinful flesh, the fragmented world of Adam’s fallen race.

Now the fullness of time has come[7] and Gabriel must hasten from the celestial sphere to the sublunary world of mortal men, from that dazzling empyrean sea that girds the Seat of Majesty, to the low and lustreless lake of Gennesaret[8]in the region of Galilee, in the province of Judea.  Over the face of the water, the Heavenly spirit quickens, to the hilltop village of Nazareth; to grace, with tender words of wondrous import, a maiden; Mary, meek and clothed in innocence; the elect and highly favoured daughter of Zion[9].

Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for the priceless Gift of your Son, Jesus, and for the prophetic Word, that helps keep hope and faith alive, in an increasingly troubled and confusing world.
Amen 

Study by Richard Dempsey

[1] 1 Peter 1:10
[2] Luke 1:36
[3] Hebrews 1:3
[4] 1 Timothy 6:15
[5] Revelation 4:6
[6] Hebrews 2:7
[7] Galatians 4:4
[8] Luke 5:1
[9] Zephaniah 3:14; Luke 1:30-32

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About the Author:
Richard Dempsey is an Elder in the Peterborough congregation of the Worldwide Church of God UK.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God Peterborough
Farcet Village Hall
Main Street
Farcet
PETERBOROUGH
PE7 3AN

Meeting Time:
Saturday 2 pm

Local Congregational Contact:
Alan Quinn
Email: quinnsatfarcet@aol.com