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:
“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.”
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)
Susie Stewart 