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Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
—From Luke 1:26–56 (NKJV)

Meditation

Beloved Mary. Many throughout the world elevate Mary, while other traditions seem to forget she existed at all.

Who was this girl, Mary?

Did you know that Judaism elevates many of the Old Testament women to prominence? Sarah, Miriam, Huldah, Hannah, Esther are just a few notable and celebrated women. It is the mother or woman of the family who traditionally lights the Shabbat candle each Sabbath, in part because of a beautiful fable about Sarah. According to Jewish tradition, a candle miraculously remained lit in Sarah’s tent from one Friday evening to the next. It did not go out until her death, when it and its glow vanished. But when Isaac’s wife moved into the tent, the light returned. Catholicism likewise holds Mary and mothers in high esteem. Perhaps there is a lesson in these traditions of honor and reverence that could enrich Protestant Christianity—where, evangelicals in particular so fervently seek to avoid worship of Mary, that she is downplayed nearly out of existence.

Nowhere else in Scripture is a woman so fully open to the will of God.

“Nowhere else in Scripture is a woman so fully open to the will of God. ”

Those who might prefigure her—Sarah, Miriam, Hannah—cannot capture the humble simplicity of those words, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

A study of history shows us that Mary was young, most theologians suppose she was about fourteen. We also know that betrothal in Mary’s day was legally binding as a pre-marriage covenant. Any child conceived but not fathered by the betrothed would be proof of adultery, and the legal consequence for adultery was death.

Like Zechariah, Mary questioned Gabriel’s announcement. “How can this be?” she asked.

Yet her question was not followed by muteness or admonition as it was with Zechariah.

She had never “known a man,” was a virgin, still unmarried, and she knew God would not ask her to break His own law to conceive a child. There was no reprimand because there was no doubt in her question—it was a question of logistics.

Let us wonder at this girl—for, by today’s standards, she was just a girl.

She knew well that a pregnancy not of Joseph’s seed, according to the Jewish law, warranted her death. And even if she relied on Joseph’s kindness and believed he would allow her to live, she knew she could face the humiliation of being a single, unwed mother.

Yet her faith was as unshakable as Abraham’s when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac. Greater, in fact, because at the moment of Gabriel’s message she had no certainty she wasn’t assenting to her own death.

Mary has been held in honor by the church as the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars” who gives birth to the child who ‘was to rule all nations’” (Rev. 12:1–6).

Let us not dismiss Mary as merely the vehicle through whom Christ entered the world. Let the understanding wash over us—let us envision the courage, trust, and faith of a girl willing to give her life over entirely to God.

Inspiration

The Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1899

Music

Enjoy the haunting melody of Gabriel’s Message that tells the miraculous story.

Reflect on the people’s long wait as you enjoy, O Come O Come Emmanuel.

Visit our Joy of Advent YouTube playlist for featured videos, our Ultimate Christmas playlist for all our favorite carols, or our sing-along carols to enjoy karaoke style.

Reflection

Have you ever faced an impossible request, obligation, or task that you believed was from God? Perhaps you were charged with a world-changing position of power. Perhaps you were asked to walk through a season of poverty, an unexpected pregnancy, the loss of a spouse. Perhaps you were chosen to parent a child with special needs or care for a fragile parent. Let us all make Mary our model for every blessing as well as every trial, as we answer God, “Let it be to me according to your word.” For out of our trials often come our richest blessings.

Prayer

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Family Celebration

An angel reminds us of Gabriel’s visit to Mary.

In your child’s favorite Children’s Bible, read the story of Gabriel’s message to Mary.

Say: Has anyone ever asked you to do something impossible? The angel Gabriel told Mary that God wanted her to do the impossible. She would be mother to God’s very own Son! We remember Gabriel’s message with an angel today as we think about Mary. She could have said, “Prove it,” like Zechariah did. Instead she had faith and said, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

Resources

Does the Virgin Birth raise questions for you? Here are three things to keep in mind.
Many films and series have depicted the Nativity story. Here’s a list of all the films based on Biblical characters.
Enjoy a printable coloring page of Mary and the Angel.
Would you like to make Jesse Tree ornaments to accompany your readings? Find tutorials and ideas from simple to advanced at our Jesse Tree Ornaments Pinterest board.