Scripture:
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’
“And the angel answered 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 called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26-38)
Devotion:
Have you ever watched a show where a character with a humble background is surprised to discover that they are someone important? Maybe it’s an orphan who finds out that she is secretly a princess, or the guy who is always overlooked learns that he is the “chosen one.” They are always shocked and wonder how this could be possible.
That’s kind of like where we are in God’s story. God had shown the Israelites all throughout His Word that He had a rescue plan, one He had been pointing to since the beginning. We’ve spent the last 21 days seeing all the ways God had been preparing the world for this moment since the beginning of His Story. He had been pointing to a Savior, a Rescuer, a Prince who would come to save us!
Suddenly, after hundreds of years of waiting, and out of all the people in the world, Mary found out that the Messiah was about to be born…as her baby! It’s hard to even imagine the magnitude of what she felt.
This moment was huge. God was finally revealing the plan for so many things He had told us would happen: There would be an everlasting King and kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-16). A child would be given to us who would be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). God would give us a sign through a virgin birth, and the child would be called Immanuel, or “God With Us” (Isaiah 7:14).
Mary had one simple question: How? Even though Mary couldn’t fully understand God’s plan, she trusted that nothing was impossible with God. Mary chose to have faith—to trust in God, His Word, and His promises—and to be His servant for His glory and the good of the whole world.
Questions:
- How did the stories from the Old Testament point to the baby that God would bring through Mary?
- What can you learn from Mary’s response in today’s story? How can you have a faith like Mary?
- Do you see yourself as a servant of God? How does this change the way you live?
Family Activity:
Today, draw a picture of a heart to remind you of the amazing love God showed by sending Jesus to earth. Sing or listen to the song, “Mary Did You Know?” and make a list of all of the amazing things the song says Jesus did. Talk about some of the good surprises you have received, whether big or small. Take time to thank God for specific things He has surprised you and your family with over the past year.
