Last month, kids’ ministry shared Nativi-TV, the Christmas program they’d rehearsed for months with the church. We watched Jim and Diane, a couple just trying to agree on what to watch on TV. They watched Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem, find a place to stay, and welcome our savior into the world through reality TV, soap operas, weather reports, sports reports, game shows, and ad breaks. I hope you were part of the audience!

The first show, Nazareth Newlyweds, shows Mary’s reaction to her angelic visitor. This scene is based off of Luke 1:26-38. Gabriel told Mary that she was highly favored by God. God saw something special in her and invited her into the plan to save the world.

Mary was not without her own doubts. This was a miracle she was being introduced to, and she wasn’t sure how it could happen.

But she did know God had been faithful to her and would stay by her side no matter what journey she was on, no matter what doubts she had, and no matter what other people said. She had hope in the words God gave her about her future.

After Gabriel reassured her she would be okay and wouldn’t be doing this alone, Mary had something to look forward to.

Sometimes, we feel hopeless when unexpected things happen. But God didn’t just tell Mary what to do, God gave her something she could hold onto during the days up ahead that were sure to bring her down.

God gave her hope.