Advent day 3: Highly favored

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, ³³and 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^{b]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} 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.

Mary, what did you chalk this up to? Was it real? Was it a dream? The angel said you were chosen because you found favor with God. Did you believe that? Or did you in your mind sigh a relief that the God who hadn't spoken to His people in 400 years found favor in you?

There must have been deep fear in her eyes. The angel reassured her not to be afraid. Why? She found favor with God! This wasn't a punishment, but a celebration! Or was it a punishment? Before Jesus would ever speak the words that the world will hate those who follow Him, Mary experienced this while He was still in her womb. A young pregnant woman, before she was to be married.A shame to her culture that way. I can only imagine that while the angel was explaining to her what would happen that she doubted her role. She even questioned it, "How could this be since I am a virgin?" Yet unlike Zechariah her question was one not of doubt, but of pure curiosity how God would work in her. And to confirm how God does the impossible, he tells of Elizabeth's pregnancy in her old age. While that's a comfort to know what God is capable of I'm sure it brought up a lot of fears of what would happen to her.

How would Joseph respond? Would he believe her? Does she tell the townspeople of her visitation? How loudly would they mock her? They would, she was sure, but to what extent?

She would have to decide in the morning. For now, sleep was needed to calm her mind.

Hey God,

May I go into my day full of distractions and take comfort in Your promise that Your word never fails. Fill me with those words today, Lord. I'm in desperate need of them and of You. Let me listen if it's You that's calling me. Thank you, Jesus.

Amen.