My mind could barely grasp

the words I was hearing

 

An angel of God, Gabriel,

stood before me!

 

his presence overwhelming

bold

and beautiful

 

His words were like liquid gold

flowing,

 

“Greetings, you who are highly favored!

The Lord is with you.”

 

I struggled with his declaration

and I was troubled deep

 

But the heavenly being assured me

and calmed my fears

 

And then

the words I will never forget,

 

“You will conceive

and give birth

to a son

and you are to call Him

Jesus…”

 

Such confusion filled my head

but I knew in my inmost being

that this was from God

 

“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.”

 

So many thoughts

but only one question,

simple and to the point

 

“How will this be

since I am a virgin?”

 

Without hesitation

the angel replied,

 

“The Holy Spirit will come on you,

and the power of the Most High

will overshadow you.

So the Holy One to be born

will be called

the Son of God.”

 

My Son

would be God’s Son?

 

I did not understand

but I knew God could be trusted

 

and I trusted

 

Gabriel’s parting words were,

“No word from God will ever fail.”

 

And with a heart full of joy

and a womb blessed,

I replied,

 

“May your word to me be fulfilled.”

 

I rushed to my cousin’s home

in the hill country of Judea

 

for the angel told me my aged relative

had conceived as well!

 

As I greeted Elizabeth

we both felt pure joy

and a knowing

 

that this moment

was profound

 

Baby John leaped in his mother’s womb

as the presence my Jesus was felt

 

And Elizabeth, too, was filled

with Holy Spirit fire!

 

The first of many

to worship my Divine

God-conceived

Son

 

My heart and mind

treasured the moment

 

Elizabeth shouted these words,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the child

you will bear!”

 

She knew!

Without a word from me

 

and I was humbled

by the exclamation

 

Elizabeth told me

I was blessed

 

for I had believed the Lord would fulfill

His promises to me

 

and I pondered what was said

and hoped

 

that all women would believe

the Lord’s promises

 

My spirit soared

and I spoke these words,

 

“My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices

in God my Savior,

for He has been mindful

of the humble state

of His servant.

From now on all generations

will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One

has done great things for me –

holy is His Name.

His mercy extends

to those who fear Him,

from generation

to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds

with His arm;

He has scattered

those who are proud

in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers

from their thrones,

but has lifted up

the humble.

He has filled the hungry

with good things

but has sent the rich away

empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and His descendants

forever,

just as He promised

our ancestors.”

 

I was at peace

with God’s plan for me

 

and I stayed with my sweet cousin

for three months

 

for that support of my relative

would help strengthen my heart

 

for what was to come

when I returned home…

 

the ridicule

the scorn

the gossip

the pain…

 

My betrothed,

so loving and kind,

couldn’t bear the news

that I was with child

 

without him…

 

He planned to cut ties with me privately

so as not to disgrace me publicly

 

But the Lord’s eye never left me

and an angel visited Joseph as well

 

to confirm the promises made to me

 

and we became man and wife,

my beloved and I

 

I treasured the days

of my Son growing inside me

 

singing lullabies

to God

 

I rejoiced at my cousin giving birth

to John, my Son’s forerunner and prophet

 

A census was required

and so

Joseph and I traveled to Bethlehem

 

the journey long and difficult

 

While we were there

it came time for our boy to be born

 

We searched everywhere

for just one room

 

but there was none

 

We were ushered into a place

meant for animals

 

It was unfathomable to me

that God’s Son might be born

in these circumstances

 

but there was no room

for us anywhere but here

 

So there,

in humble surroundings,

my child

and God’s child

was born

 

The pain

the blood spilt

the miracle

 

I had never seen anyone

so beautiful

 

I wrapped Him tightly

in clothes

 

and because there was no bed

I laid Him in an trough for animals

 

He, nonetheless, radiated light

and joy and glory

 

yet humility….

 

I could scarce take it all in

 

My mother’s heart treasured every moment

even as I lay exhausted from labor

 

My first experience

with the miracle of birth

was a holy moment

 

and I looked to the future with my God-Child,

unknowing of what that might look like

 

yet trusting God knew,

and I was His

 

– Susie Stewart

 

In 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.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

And Mary said:

 

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

…In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

– Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-17 (NIV)