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 a 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.
Many churches look at March 25 as
Annunciation Day. It commemorates the angel’s announcement to Mary that she
would be the mother of Jesus, the Messiah. We need to always rejoice at the
beginning of God’s work, rather than holding our applause just for
accomplishments. Because we often read Luke’s gospel at Christmas, we may
forget that nine months of trust and waiting separated Mary’s response to
Gabriel from the birth of Jesus. We can celebrate beginnings by giving hugs or
handshakes to new believers, who profess their faith in Christ. We can write a
note of encouragement to a friend who has chosen to obey God’s Word.
Grasp every opportunity the beginnings of
God’s work in the lives of others. The human spirit soars with hope when lifted
by an encouraging word.
Our Daily Bread – March 24, 2005