In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. LUKE 1:26-38
As I read this account, I often try to imagine the scene... where Mary was and what she was doing. We have no details other than she was in Nazareth, her home town. I imagine her about her daily tasks and suddenly everything changes when the Angel of the Lord appears!
What always strikes me in the passage is Mary's readiness to serve the Lord. She knew Him. She knew His promises. Her response was not full of excuses - - it was one of readiness to step into the calling that the Lord presented.
In what ways are we prepared and ready to respond
so willingly when the Lord breaks into our routine?
so willingly when the Lord breaks into our routine?
This interaction doesn't detail all that would happen in the years to come. Mary knew the Lord's word and trusted Him with her heart. She willingly stepped into all the risks and unknowns!
This song, "Mary Did You Know?" says so much.
Advent is a time when we prepare for the
Lord's entrance into the story of humanity.
Lord's entrance into the story of humanity.
Don't miss the opportunity to prepare for Him
to enter into the story of each of our lives as well.
to enter into the story of each of our lives as well.
Are you ready to say "I am your servant?"
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