Finding The Gift Of God’s Favor (Mary) Series

Notes:

1. At this time, it is estimated that 2.4 billion people hold Christian beliefs...which is 31% of the world’s

population.

2. Peanuts was a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M.

Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000. By 2000 Peanuts was running in more than

2,500 newspapers in 75 countries. Charles Shultz would later explain he wanted to avoid that consumerist

promises of manufactured, faux-heavenly Christmas cheer so prevalent in other Christmas specials and

advertisements because they left an emptiness in the human heart. It has been noted, that just as Charlie

Brown and his little Christmas tree are misunderstood, mocked, and rejected, so was the Savior of the

world—a Savior who came to save the very people who rejected him. The song many associate now with

Christmas was entitled "Linus and Lucy" ...originally featured on Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie

Brown (1964) and was also released as the B-side for the single "Oh, Good Grief". However, it gained its

greatest exposure as part of the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack the following year..

For more, see: ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Evokes the Sacred Worth of Underdogs: Charles Schulz’s

improbable holiday special echoed his own acquaintance with lowliness. - MARY

MCCAMPBELL|DECEMBER 19, 2023 (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/december-web-only/charlie-brown-christmas-miracle-michael-keane-charles-shulz.html)

3. She was probably born in what we would refer to as the year 20BC....but she wouldn’t have called it that

... because this child would change the whole of history...and create that very system by which we date

human history.

The gospels mention various festal pilgrimages to which Jesus journeyed, a custom he learned from his

parents (cf. Lk 2:41). From this evidence, scholars calculate that his public ministry probably lasted around

three years placing his death around age thirty-three, with Mary around forty-eight at that time (i.e. 27-29

AD). Though these are estimates, we can safely assume that Jesus died before 37 A.D., when scholars

inform us that Pilate left office in the Holy Land.

4. It has also been noted that it was also uncommon for a woman to be engaged his way in public.

According to Jewish tradition, men were discouraged from talking to women in public: Mishnah Pirkei Avot

1:5 (https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.5?lang=bi)

5. Elizabeth says "The baby in my womb started jumping up and down when I saw you." She says to her,

"Mary, you are blessed. You are highly favored among women." But Mary’s response is to begin to sing

out...and the words declare that God has come to her as one who is in need...as a sign that he has come

to all.

As Russell Moore notes,

Notice in this song she starts singing about a God whose mercy is for those who fear him, a God who is

doing all of these things for his people, forgiving the sins of his people. He's not turning away from them.