Today is Monday the 9th of December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the 2nd week of Advent. The Brilliance sings, ‘Mother of God’. Mary, full of grace The Lord your God is with thee Blessed are you to bless all the world Mary, peace is yours The Spirit is upon you You will be with child, do not fear Mother of God Your baby boy will grant us peace Your baby boy will grant us peace Word made flesh Born of virgin Mary Hope is in the world, Emmanuel The Lamb of God Born to die, He came He would show the world a better way Emmanuel God with us, God with us Emmanuel God with us, God with us Son of God Hear Your people calling All cry out for peace, can you hear? In our despair We doubt in Your return Messiah, will You come once again? Emmanuel God with us, God with us Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke. Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him 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 ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. Our passage today brings us beautiful, perhaps familiar words; words which bring a sense of anticipation as we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. How did you feel as you heard this reading today? Take a moment now to picture Mary and the Angel Gabriel as they meet. Maybe a famous piece of art or music comes to mind. Enjoy this memory as you take part in the encounter. Now let your imagination take you to Mary’s home in the town of Nazareth. What is it like to be there? Turn your gaze towards Mary as she meets with the Angel Gabriel; try to picture her facial expression and countenance as she hears these words: ‘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 holy; he will be called Son of God.’ As you listen to the reading again, notice all the sentences that include the word ‘will’… which announce the promises of God through Gabriel. Mary replies, “Let it be to me, according to your word.” Spend a little more time now with Mary. Maybe there is something you would like to say to her, or perhaps you can just quietly savour this moment together. O Wisdom Lord and Ruler Root of Jesse Key of David Rising Sun King of the Nations Emmanuel Come, Lord Jesus.
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