Monday, December 1, 2014

The Angel Gabriel

LaVista Chruch of Christ. org

As we enter the season of Advent, let’s look at the one whose birth we celebrate. We begin with the Angel Gabriel.
“‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:28, 30)
“‘You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.’” (v. 31)
“‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’” (v.32)
“This news stunned Mary. ‘How can it be, I haven’t been with any man.’”
“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon 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.’” (v.:35)

            Mary had recently become engaged to Joseph, a carpenter in their town. How could this be? Will he believe her when she shares this information with him? What will her parents think? She knew how the people in their town will treat them. She had seen the citizens of Bethlehem ostracize young couples before. She even saw young girls stoned because of their transgression.

            But Gabriel said that this child would be very special—the Son of God.

            How do we view Jesus in the 21st Century? Do we believe He is God’s Son? Jesus asked the disciples, “‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The twelve answered, saying ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus then homed into the crux of the issue, “What about you? Who do you say I am?’”

            Sometimes we have to return to this question and ask it of ourselves. “Who do we think Jesus is?”     


2 comments:

  1. Hey, you've got a pretty good Advent "calendar" going here yourself! This is wonderful. I Love the stories of Elizabeth and Mary and the angelic messengers...so exciting. I believe God does still speak to us today, if we will only take the time to listen. His voice is calling to us in so many ways, through so many different people...ones we may not expect. We just need to have the attitude of Elizabeth and Mary and be ready. This was great.

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    Replies
    1. Pam,thank you. This has been a slow week in some ways. I had to laugh at your comment--that was a good thing. God tends to speak to me when I am in a pensive mood. Yes, He does speak to us today.

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