Luke 1:26-38 Gabriel
and Mary
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent
by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came
to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was
much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name
him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary
said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called
Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived
a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For
nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant
of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed
from her.
****
These verses from the Gospel of Luke are
referred to as “The Birth of Jesus Foretold”. I can only imagine what this
sweet young girl, literally a girl, somewhere between the ages of 10-15 years
old, must have felt when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. I know I would have been extremely afraid and
doubtful about what I was being told. Yet, Mary received comfort from Gabriel
with the words “God has decided to bless you”. But when he tells her she will
conceive a son, she doesn’t understand.
She is a virgin and is not yet married. How can this be she asked
Gabriel? Two thousand years ago, a young
girl/woman didn’t become pregnant out of wedlock and survive in her community.
What would her family say? What would her fiancé Joseph do? These certainly
must have been questions she would have asked herself. They would have been my
questions in her place!
However, Gabriel further explains that
the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High will overshadow (come upon) her
and she will conceive a holy child and he will be called the Son of God.
Mary’s faith and love for God must have
been incredibly strong. She concedes that she is the “Lord’s servant” and
willingly accepts “whatever He wants”.
Mary gave birth to our Savior, Jesus,
the Son of God. It must have been difficult for her, but her faith and love for
God gave her strength, just as our faith during difficult times in our lives
gives us the strength to get us
Prayer: Heavenly Father,
please be with us during difficult times in our lives and give us the strength
and courage to move forward. Help us to be your faithful servants. Let us always remember that it is “thy will
be done” and not “my will be done”. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Kathie Ruhs is a member of Trinity
Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY
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