In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
Luke 1:26-30
How do you think you would respond if Gabriel appeared to you? Do you think he appeared just as a regular man? Or did he have wings and a white glow about him? Do you think Mary could see through him? I think she recognized him as a man, not as an alien. But she didn’t know him, so he was quick to identify himself as a messenger of God. We need to remember our Lord doesn’t always follow the way we think things should run. In our culture, we would consider Mary to be a silly young teenager. In Mary’s culture, she knew her Torah, she knew about the Messiah, and she was old enough to take on marriage responsibilities. In our culture we see the outside actions; in Mary’s culture, God saw the heart. You know what? God still sees our hearts.
Father, forgive me for boxing You in, for thinking I know more than You. Search my heart, Lord, forgive me of my sins, and lead me in Your ways. I love You, Lord! Amen.
Third-Day Activities
Bring out your angel from your nativity set today. Talk with your family about Gabriel and how he visited Mary. Ask them what they think he looked like. Gabriel is seen in two other places in the Bible What is he like in those, and what message does he proclaim? (Daniel 8:15-17; 9:21; Luke 1:19) Let your angel fly around to other rooms of your house as Mary and Joseph visit each room throughout this month.
Today, why don’t you and your children make a few angels? You can go online and enter “angel paper crafts,” and you will have many free kinds to choose from. If you don’t have a computer or are not computer capable, ask a friend to print out the instructions for you. Then you can hang your angels around the house. Talk to your children about the role of angels in the Bible.
With The Savior 