A Window to His Love

The "chosen" people are named such not because God chose them, but because they chose God. The only advantage the Jews had was their commitment to God, anyone who makes the same commitment can gain the same advantage. Nor did their commitment mean that all Jews were saved, they still had to personally make that commitment to God. (Romans 3:1-4)
Romans chapter 4 talks about how those who use circumcision as a sign of their eliteness (Jews being God's chosen) should not do so because Abraham was chosen and walked in Faith with God before he was circumcised. In this chapter you can also substiture the word circumcision for the name of any religon and you can understand the concept a little better. Circumcision was a sign to set them apart, not the sign to set them up.
"for the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through law, but through the righteousness of his faith" *romans 4:13
Abraham is our father because of his example of Faith.
"[Abraham] who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations...and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb; he staggered not at the promise of God thorugh unbelief but was strong in faith, growing glory to God and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone...but for us also...if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the Dead" *Romans 4:18-24
Abraham is our Father in the same way Mary is our Mother. When the angel came to her and gave her 'impossible' news, she said "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy word" *Luke 1:38
Abraham and Mary were not great so God chose them, nor were they chosen to become great. They had already chosen God, and He knew when he called them, what their answer would be. They were not chosen for who they were or because of their faith, they had already made the choice. God knew that generations would look back at Abraham and say "Look how he answered the Lord!" and they would look back at Mary and say "Look how she let the Lord work through her!"
They are not great. God is great, and God shone through them so they appeared great.
This does not diminish what they did or who they were. They are two amazing examples of faith and works and answering God's call. They are so amazing in fact that the World's 2 biggest religons are based upon their decisions to answer God. By letting God steer their lives, they have led countless others to God. Abraham led Israel(Jews) and Mary led Catholics, both are revered in those religons. They are amazing leaders. There is a reason Abraham is the "Father of Nations" (Genesis 17:2-4) and Mary the "Mother" (John 19:26-27) They should be examples of God though, not Icons of a church. "Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him" *Romans 4:23-24
God's intention in using them was that we learn of God and draw closer to God through them. Jesus was a perfect example of letting God's light shine through him, Abraham and Mary are our human examples.
My prayer is that we may all find the strength to be like Abraham and Mary, when God asks for the impossible, may we realize that nothing through God is impossible. May we be able to answer God's call to us with "be it unto me according to Thy word" *Luke 1:38