It’s a shame that about the only time we think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, is around Christmas. I’m grateful for the recent movie, “The Nativity,” that focused attention on her. Mary was a remarkable young woman. In our Apostles Creed, she is one of only three people mentioned—Mary, Jesus, and Pontius Pilate. (1)

When we meet Mary in Scripture, she is just an adolescent Jewish girl, probably 14 or 15 years old. She is engaged to marry a young carpenter named Joseph. Though this engagement was probably arranged by her parents, she has developed a genuine love for this young man. She has dreams of a home and a family. Then one day in Nazareth, something very strange happened. Did she hear thunder or see strange lights or quiver all over? We don’t know. But we do know that she received …