Luke: Son of God

"How can this be?” Mary said. “I am still a virgin.”  The angel answered, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason, the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God.   

Luke 1:34-35 [REB]

I adored my father.  My mother always regarded me as something she owned (I am adopted); consequently, I was “hers,” and my brothers “belonged” to my dad.  It was, admittedly, an odd way to raise a family.  Dad had little in the way of formal education, yet he was the smartest man I’ve ever known. There were country proverbs and witty sayings sprinkled throughout his everyday speech—some handed down from his dad, some from Ben Franklin, some of them from his own imagination.  One of my favorites: “Two can live as cheaply as one, if one doesn’t eat and the other doesn’t wear clothes.”  As the years passed, these proverbs wound their way through my own conversations, and eventually, into the vocabulary of my children.  Although I legally left my maiden name behind a long time ago, in my heart of hearts, I am and always will be a Poulson—my father’s daughter..

In the Hebrew culture during Bible times, the custom for naming male infants included the baby’s given name as well as the father’s name.  In Matthew 16:17, Jesus refers to Peter as Simon Bar-jona.  “Bar” is Aramaic for son:  Simon, son of Jonah.  As unbelievable as it was to Mary (and to us?), Gabriel’s explanation of the mystery of conception made it clear that this Child would have a human mother and a divine Father.  Instead of being called Jesus Bar-joseph, Mary’s son would be called Jesus Bar-Jehovah.  He was the Christ, the Anointed one, the Messiah – the Son of God.

The foxes found rest and the birds their nest

In the shade of the forest tree.

But Thy couch was the sod, O thou Son of God

In the deserts of Galilee.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.