“I can’t believe it’s all over!” commented Emi a bit wistfully to her friend Sierra. The two girls shrugged into their coats and looked outside to a clear, beautiful December morning. A few last cars were pulling away from the curb. They had just finished doing the long-practised Christmas program.

“I thought the program went really well,” Emi went on. “We sure did have a full house. The props Ethan painted looked great with the spotlights on them. And nobody forgot his lines!”

Sierra nodded in agreement. “This program gave me a feeling I’ve never had before. Somehow, the Christmas story is so much more real to me now that I’ve played the part of one of the characters.”

As they walked out of the church, Sierra said, “Remember when the parts were assigned for the Christmas play and how excited I was at getting to play the part of Mary? I could hardly wait to get home and tell my family.”

“I’ll say,” replied Emi. “It was all you talked about for a week!”

“Well, I was just thinking . . . Can you imagine how the real Mary felt when the angel Gabriel came to her and announced that she was going to be the mother of Jesus?”

“Wow,” exclaimed Emi, “I’m sure she was more excited than you ever thought of being! Our teacher said that Mary was engaged to Joseph when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. Gabriel said she was highly favored and blessed among women.”

“I guess she was! Wouldn’t you be shocked if an angel all of a sudden appeared and told you that God had picked you out of all the women on the earth? No wonder Mary was confused and afraid. I would be too!”

“Of course, Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid,” Emi went on. “He said that the Holy Ghost would come over her and she would have a baby who would be the Son of God and His name would be Jesus.”

Sierra looked thoughtful. “Mary must have been an extra special person for God to have chosen her out of all the women on earth to be the mother of His Son. I thought I was lucky just to get to play the part of Mary.”

“Remember what our teacher said?” asked Emi. “She said that even though Mary wasn’t famous or rich she must have lived a life dedicated to God, or the Lord wouldn’t have chosen her. God probably watched Mary all her life. Just think, He’s watching us the same way today.”

“Yeah,” replied Sierra. “But if I were really Mary I don’t know if I would be able to believe it if someone told me I was going to have a baby that was the Son of God.”

“That shows what a special person Mary really was. She knew that nothing was impossible with God. She not only believed the angel, but also committed herself by saying, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord.’ She was willing to be used for God’s purpose.”

Sierra thought for a few moments, then stopped walking and faced Emi. “You mean because Mary was willing to be used by God she was selected to be the mother of Jesus?”

“Yes, that’s one of the reasons. In those days there was a lot of sin in the world, so a person with Mary’s qualities and willingness to be used by God was rare.”

When the girls resumed walking, Sierra said, “If God was watching Mary all the time to see if she was ready to do His will, then He must be watching us too. I want to be sure that I can be used. How can we be really sure, Emi?”

“You know the starting point is when we are sorry for our sins. When we tell Jesus that we don’t ever want to do them again, He’ll save us. Then He will help us to do only the things that please Him. That makes us ready to be used for God’s purpose.”

The girls had been so deep into their discussion they hardly realized they had reached Sierra’s house. They stood in silence for a few minutes. As Sierra turned to go up the walk she looked at Emi and said quietly, “You know, Emi, I think this is going to be the best Christmas I’ve ever had!”