谁都未曾预料事情会这样发展——约瑟没有想到，当然马利亚也没有。结婚前就有了身孕，没有同房就生了一个儿子，不管这有多大可能。那是一个被分别为圣归给神的孩子。祂是神的儿子，不管这意味着发生什么。这正是天使对马利亚所说的。
很自然地，马利亚会问：这怎么可能呢？天使说圣灵会降临在她身上。谁听说过这样的事？约瑟和马利亚可能想过，孩子不论如何都是上帝的礼物，但这种情况他们绝对想不到！
虽然他们的这个儿子是以不同寻常的方式受孕的，但祂出生的方式却很平常。他吃饭和睡觉的方式，以及他长大的方式，也和普通人如出一辙。祂也按照通常的方式学习了木工这一家族手艺。
有很长一段时间，他们的儿子并没有什么不同寻常的表现。直到圣灵降临到祂的身上，正如圣灵曾经临到了马利亚一样（路 3:22）。圣灵要差遣他们的这个儿子，去成为拯救世界的基督。
耶稣完成这一使命的方式是所有人都意想不到的。但为了神的荣耀，耶稣会不断前进。祂将怀着慷慨的心、勇敢的灵，并带着坚定的步伐，坚持走完这条路，成全这一使命。
耶稣，你是忠诚、信实的创始成终者。你亲自走在我们的前面。愿我们追随你的脚踪，并跟随到底。
路加福音 1:26-35
26到了第六个月，天使加百列奉神的差遣往加利利的一座城去，这城名叫拿撒勒；27到一个童女那里，是已经许配大卫家的一个人，名叫约瑟，童女的名字叫马利亚。28天使进去，对她说：“蒙大恩的女子，我问你安，主和你同在了！”29马利亚因这话就很惊慌，又反覆思想这样问安是什么意思。30天使对她说：“马利亚，不要怕，你在神面前已经蒙恩了。31你要怀孕生子，可以给他起名叫耶稣。32他要为大，称为至高者的儿子；主神要把他祖大卫的位给他，33他要做雅各家的王，直到永远；他的国也没有穷尽。”34马利亚对天使说：“我没有出嫁，怎么有这事呢？”35天使回答说：“圣灵要临到你身上，至高者的能力要荫庇你。因此，所要生的圣者必称为神的儿子。
"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." - Luke 1:31
No one expected it—not Joseph, and certainly not Mary. A child before marriage. A son conceived without having sex, however that might work. He would be a holy child, someone set apart to God. He would be the Son of God, whatever that might mean. That's what the angel told Mary.
Naturally, Mary asked how this would happen. The angel said the Holy Spirit would come upon her. Who ever heard of such a thing? Joseph and Mary expected that any child they might have would be a gift from God. But they sure didn't expect this.
Though their son would be conceived in an extraordinary way, he would be born in the usual way. He would eat and sleep in the usual way. He would grow up in the usual way. And he would learn the family trade in the usual way.
For a long time, there wouldn't be much unusual about their son. Not until the Holy Spirit, who would come upon Mary, would also descend on their son (Luke 3:22). The Spirit would send their son on a mission to be the Savior of the world.
That mission would unfold in ways no one expected. But their son would keep moving forward. With a generous heart, with a courageous spirit, and with toughened soles, he would stick to the path of that mission for the glory of God.
Jesus, you are the pioneer and perfecter of faithfulness. Your feet walked the path ahead of us. May our feet keep moving as we walk along behind you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
