The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 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. 36 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. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Reflection:
Gabriel makes a second appearance today, this time to the Virgin Mary who was engaged to Joseph. In those days the rules surrounding engagement were very tight so the news that Gabriel shared with her would have been most disturbing to young Mary. Most would she was in her teens, so quite a young age for such a pronouncement. Here are some other observations surrounding the birth narrative of our Lord:

1. Two times the angel says she is favored or found favor with God. Note her favor is accompanied by the statement, The Lord is with you. Favor comes when God is with us. We today have favor as a result of the Holy Spirit being with us and in us.

2. You are to call him "Jesus". This name means "God saves", and is a derivative of Joshua.

3. Jesus is given the throne of his descendant David thus fulfilling the royal covenant given to King David in 1 Samuel. The only difference is Jesus is the last king and will rule forever in God's eternal kingdom.

4. Jacob's descendants are mentioned thus fulfilling the covenant with his grandfather Abraham, that through his line all nations would be blessed. Also this shows us that Jesus' salvation is retroactive to the people of the promise in the Old Testament.

5. When Mary asks how she will do this the angel says, "the Holy Spirit will overshadow you!" This is a good reminder to us that if we are to do anything for God it will be by the Holy Spirit overshadowing our own natural limitations.

6. "For no word from God will ever fail!" It's good to know that though sometimes our words fail, God's never will. So if we are hearing God right and acting on it, we can never fail. That's why when we step out in faith we can see whether something is of God or not. Either it will fail or be successful, depending on if it is in alignment with God's Word. God may have to re-align us sometimes to a proper understanding of His Word.

7. Finally, these are some of the greatest words ever uttered in history. "I am the Lord's servant. May Your word to me be fulfilled." Mary is in the best possible place to be used by God. First she says, "I am the Lord's servant!"
She is ready to do anything necessary to have God's word fulfilled in her. She is not seeking what God can bring her but what she brings to God, her heart and will.

What would it mean for us each day to start out each day and say, "I am the Lord's servant, may Your Word be fulfilled in me today!"? This puts us in the best possible position for the Holy Spirit to overshadow us and bring in Jesus to our world today.

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