Advent Devotion || Gabriel Speaks to Mary

Luke 1

Angels don’t show up on the pages of scripture very often, so when they do, we should sit up and take notice. Well, angels show up three times in the months leading up to the birth of Jesus the Savior. Last time we discussed how the angel went to Zacharias and told him that he and Elizabeth were going to give birth to John the Baptist. This time, we’re going to look at the second occurrence, and that’s when the angel comes to Mary. Mary was a virgin. She was betrothed. She was engaged to a man named Joseph, but they were not yet married. The angel comes to her and says, “Blessed are you! Hail you who are highly favored!” Mary was troubled by it. She didn’t understand what kind of greeting this was. It was startling. The angel goes on to say, “You are going to become pregnant, and the Holy Spirit is going to cause that pregnancy.” Mary was curious. How could this be? I’m a virgin! The Holy Spirit will come upon you, so the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. “For nothing is impossible with God,” the angel says to her. What a wonderful promise for us to hear, huh? That nothing is impossible for our God? And how true it is, because Mary indeed did become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus the Christ was a miracle baby. God and man in one person. But for Mary, this was hard. She was going to be pregnant before her marriage. What was Joseph or fiance going to say? “Oh, honey, it’s the Holy Spirit who caused me to become pregnant.” Yeah, right? Huh? That was going to be hard. What was Joseph going to do? What was he going to say? What about the rest of the townspeople? What did this all mean for Mary? And so, seeing her response is really invigorating. Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Wow! What a wonderful response of faith. I pray that our response of faith to God’s word is just as bold, just as willing as Mary’s was. That no matter what God might be telling us to do in his word, that we would follow his will, that we would respond, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” May Jesus bless your Advent musings as we approach the birth of the Savior.