Today is the day we celebrate the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would bear our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s a Christian Feast Day.
We can find the story in Luke’s gospel. Let’s read it.
Luke 1:26-33In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Jesus. He will be great: He was, is and forever will be, and will be called Son of the Most High, which He is. His reign will never end. If you’re reading John with us here, you’ll notice Jesus talking about His authority. Yes, He is in control, He is over it all. His authority is absolute. We have nothing to fear. We are in His hands.
Paul starts Romans 1:1-5 with these words of introduction:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Comes two ways. Through the angel saying the power of God will overshadow Mary and through the Spirit’s appointment. Even in his earthly life, God, Jesus, and the Spirit were all One.
And in Ephesians 1:19b-23 Paul goes on with this:
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Praise God for Jesus. Praise Jesus for what he did for us, what he does for us, and what He has promised He will do for us. It’s all beyond our imagination good.
The effect of this annunciation changed the world and will eventually make it all new. Put your faith in Him and you will have nothing to fear and will live forever. And you can echo with Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” All the glory to Jesus. Amen.