The virgin Mary – literally an iconic figure in much of Christendom.  Her place in Christian history was set as soon as God chose her to be the human instrument through whom the Lord Jesus would enter the world.  Mary had no credentials for the job, save that she was from David’s line.  She was poor; she was young; she was a normal peasant girl; she was from a despised village; her family and her espoused husband had no connections.  Yet, God chose her to bear the Messiah – the Savior of the world.  Some have elevated Mary to a place of near-deity.  However, Mary’s claim to fame was not that she was somehow sinless, or that she offers some kind of direct access to her Son.  Her claim to a place in God’s Hall of Fame is that she was an obedient “maidservant”.  She did what God asked her to do, not fully understanding all that would entail, but understanding that she needed to obey the Lord.  Isn’t that what God asks of us?