A Messenger from God

Beyond the Present Time
The Kingdom of God
Gabriel's Interpretation

Luke 1:26-38

The Message (MSG)

A Virgin Conceives26-28 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

29-33 She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
35 The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.

36-38 “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said,

Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.

Then the angel left her.

For Reflection

I think that one of the things that I like about the Bible is its mystery. The scriptures constantly challenge us to accept the seemingly imposable as fact or suspend belief so that we can get to the truth which lies beyond the facts. It may not be all that important that one accepts the unusual as fact. It is important, however that one sees the truth in the mystery that is our God. This imposable conception may have been the best way for the writers to get people to understand that God wanted human kind to know that God can identify with the human condition. If the mystery prevents you from seeing the truth in scripture and accepting God's transforming reconciliation offer, think on the truth which lies in the metaphor.

Personally, I accept the mystery. For me it is humbling.

 

Pray

That you will see beyond the facts into the truths that God reveals to you. Pray that you will be continuously humbled by God's mystery.