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The Annunciation of Our Lord’s virgin birth is one of Scripture’s most awe-inspiring accounts. Rooted in both mystery and grace, it reveals God’s power to bring His Son into the world through extremely humble circumstances… an event so sacred and history-shaping that it compels us to respond with reverence and wonder.
Surprising News in Nazareth
According to the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel came to visit a young virgin named Mary in the town of Nazareth. This momentous encounter happened in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Elizabeth, well past childbearing years, had already conceived John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
The birth of John the Baptist was announced in the temple’s grandeur. In contrast, Jesus’ birth was announced in an ordinary Galilean home. Though very humble, Mary’s “announcement” is accompanied by a beauty and majestic holiness that, even centuries later, the church has memorialized it in hymns like the ancient “Ave Maria.”
Betrothal in Ancient Israel
Mary was espoused to a man named Joseph of the house of David. In those days, betrothal was a legal marriage. A formal divorce was the only way to break it. Although the couple did not live together until after their betrothal period… often about a year… any breach of fidelity could result in heavy punishment, including death. Against this backdrop, Gabriel greeted Mary with the startling words: “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”
Mary’s reaction was natural fear mixed with awe. Gabriel reassured her, telling her not to be afraid because she had found favor with God. He then announced the unimaginable. She would conceive a son named Jesus, whose name means “God is our Salvation.” This child would be both the Son of the Most High as well as heir to David’s throne. He would be truly God and truly man, the long-awaited Messiah and the eternal King of kings.
God’s Grace and Our Salvation
In response, Mary asked a practical question: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Though full of grace, Mary was also grounded in reality. She recognized that a pregnancy outside of normal marital relations could expose her to at a minimum, a lot of gossip or even worse, death. Yet Gabriel declared that the Holy Ghost would overshadow her, and her child would be called the Son of God. No instructions were given on how to avoid all these potential social or legal repercussions… only the call to believe and trust.
This virginal conception stands as one of Scripture’s greatest miracles, essential to understanding Christ’s divine and human nature. Suppose we remove the supernatural element of His birth. In that case, we reduce Christianity to the pagan idea of man rising to become God rather than God descending to become man for our salvation. In Jesus, God took on full humanity to fulfill the law, bear our sins, conquer death, and rise again victorious.
As proof of God’s power, Gabriel pointed Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, who was already six months pregnant despite her old age.
Mary’s Faithful Surrender
As proof of God’s power, Gabriel pointed Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, who was already six months pregnant despite her old age. “For with God, nothing shall be impossible,” the angel declared. Though Mary faced overwhelming risks and uncertainties, she yielded fully, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” The word for “handmaid” here literally means an enslaved woman… indicating her total submission and acceptance of God’s plan for her life as well as God’s plan for all of mankind.
In this moment, Mary exemplifies genuine faith. She does not pick and choose what parts of God’s revelation to believe. She entrusts herself wholly to His word. In every age, authentic faith is marked by such surrender… acknowledging God’s authority over our lives, even when the path is difficult.
A New Creation and a Renewed World
The birth of Christ was the dawn of a new creation. Scripture calls Jesus the second Adam, ushering in a fresh start for the world. When anyone is “born again” in Christ, they gain citizenship in this renewed realm while still living in and navigating the old creation. God did not discard the old world. He transformed it from within, using Mary… an ordinary daughter of Adam… to bring forth the miraculous and the extraordinary.
In the same way, God uses our flawed human nature, shaped by the legacy of Adam, as the raw material for the new person we become in Christ. Revelation proclaims, “Behold, I make all things new,” showing us how God’s work of renewal is a transformative process that retains our individuality yet gives us a fresh heart, a new perspective, and an eternal destiny. When believers enter that eternal reality, it will be entirely beyond imagination and yet perfectly familiar… the fulfillment of every hope and all potential woven into human existence.
Nothing Shall Be Impossible
This was the annunciation of the Lord’s birth, a magnificent and world-changing revelation that heaven and earth rejoiced over. Mary’s faithful response… “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word” … embodies the essence of a heart that trusts God without reservation. Let’s all respond to God’s ongoing work in our lives with the same humble confidence, believing that “nothing shall be impossible” with Him.
