Scriptures: Luke 1:26-55, Malachi 3:9-10, John 4:24

Put yourself in the place of a little fourteen year old peasant girl, who is illiterate, uneducated, in no sense a spiritual power-house, just a humble Jewish girl, who loves God, wants to get married and raise a family. Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you. For every promise from God shall surely come true" (Luke 1:34-35, 37). In this message, Dr. Merritt retells the fascinating story of Jesus' conception, God's amazing provision for the birth of His Son.

"It wasn't easy for Mary to say, 'Yes' to God's will. I've already told you about the gossip that went on in those days. Nobody believed her story. She gave up her reputation in the community--basically for the rest of her life--and to do what God asked her to do was to risk everything. She was risking her parents, her friends, even her fiancee, because she had no idea how he would respond." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: holiday, Christmas, birth, Jesus, December, Mary, Nazareth, Galilee, Gabriel, virgin, conception, Garden of Eden, promise, prophecy