Luke 1: 26 – 38

God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”

Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.”

“I am the Lord's servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

Picture

Annunciation, Fra Angelico

Prayer

In a sermon, I once spoke a loud a wondering as to whether Mary was the only person visited by Gabriel, or whether rothers had already sad ‘no.’  Maybe that was heresy, but it was certainly a question to stir thoughts…

God of Mary, a young woman whose tentative ‘yes’ changed the course of world history, we pause for a few moments to wonder when you might have sent an angel to us with news that might have changed the course of our own lives, and how we then replied… whatever our answer, the consequences continue to unfold in out own lives… help us today to listen again for your voice, and to weigh our answers in the light of your love for us and for all creation.  Amen.