Goodness
Luke 1:28-30 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. What does it mean to be good? Obeying laws and rules? Not causing trouble? Being quiet? At Christmastime, children strive to be on the nice list and not on the naughty one. The Elf on the Shelf runs around doing crazy things to encourage good behavior. When I was a kid, I was sure an elf had peeked in the window at me. I made sure I stayed on Santa’s good side. In Bethlehem, over two-thousand years ago, a young woman had been deemed good by God. Luke recorded how an angel approached Mary and told her she’d been chosen by God to give birth to Jesus, because she had a favorable character and was highly favored by God. Imagine being so good God taps you as Jesus’ mother or father. Merri...
