“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 1:34-38)
Like Zechariah, Mary has questions. But she’s not doubting God. What she wants to know is, how is this going to happen? She is a virgin—is she supposed to move the wedding up, or what?
The angel honors that practical, trusting question. And so he explains that the Holy Spirit will bring about Jesus’ conception. She need not do anything at all, but just trust in God. And Mary agrees to that.
What a wonderful God we have, who knows our difficulties and our limitations, and makes a way for His plans to happen in spite of them! Jesus gave His own life on the cross to bring us into God’s family; and now that He has risen again, He works through us to carry out His mission and bring as many people as possible to faith in Him. Our weakness is no problem for Him.
We Pray: Lord, use me in my weakness to do Your work. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Do you think Mary was nervous?
* When have you found yourself serving God in spite of your weakness?
* If you are nervous about the challenge, where can you find help?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on December 10, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights