DAY 5: The Annunciation to Mary
“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.’” – Luke 1: 26-33 ESV
Annunciation to Mary Scene from The Nativity Story
My Thoughts:
One day, the angel Gabriel, a messenger of God, comes to Mary, a maiden in the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. And much like Gabriel tells Zechariah that he is to have a son, he tells Mary that she is to give birth to a son. But not just any son– the Son of God. Truly, this was good news indeed. And it became the defining moment in Mary’s life.
There are so many images, commemorations, memorials, and even buildings dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus—in which she is holding her newborn son. But after visiting Nazareth in Israel in 2012, I came to appreciate this image of Mary so much more—in which she is first told and first initiated into God’s plan. I also learned on my visit that there are differing consensuses as to where Gabriel spoke to Mary—as there are with many religious sites. There is the Basilica of the Annunciation at the center of town established by the Roman Catholic Church, which is built over what is thought to be the site of Mary’s home and the place of annunciation. And there is the Church of the Annunciation at the local watering well established by the Greek Orthodox Church, also commemorating the place it is thought that the angel appeared to Mary. I loved seeing both churches that commemorate this event. But for me, I will always picture Mary resting under an olive tree in the fields when Gabriel appears to her, as the movie The Nativity Story showed it.
Prayer:
Merciful Father,
we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—
our selves, our time, and our possessions—signs of your gracious love.
Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us—
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
*Banner image based on a stained glass window at Dome Cathedral in Riga, Latvia.
