Skip to main content

Advent Day 3

 3. 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.


Imagine the scene - you're sitting at home minding your own business when an angel appears and tells you that you're about to become the mother of God, how do you react?  Mary firstly looked at the practical implications - how? Like many of us today, she was concerned about having all the details in a straight line before she could commit. 

The angel, Gabriel, didn't actually commit the details to her - but showed her better evidence of God's power through her relative Elizabeth's pregnancy.  Mary responded in complete compliance, "May it be with me according to your word".

Even today, God still calls us to work for him.  While it would seem obvious that clergy members are called by God - He still asks us all to work for him, with some of us called in different ways.  We aren't all called to be preachers, teachers, evangelists - but these are not the only ways to serve God.  Mary was given a very special task, being the mother to a baby, child and Saviour - a lifelong mission!  Others walked with him, others served him tea, others provided for him, others stood at the cross and wept. 

What has God asked you to do for him?  If you are given a chance to work for God - would you argue, or would you just agree and be compliant?


Collect

Almighty God, Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hiroshima Remembrance

Hi folks Today, 6th August 2025, is the 80th anniversary since the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Shortly afterwards, they dropped a similar device on another Japanese city of Nagasaki. Between the two events, over 200,000 people died, and Japan surrendered - ending the Second World War. The ripples from these two horrific events are still felt today, and the lessons from them are more relevant in today's world than ever before! Each day we hear about the tensions around the world regarding nations developing nuclear weapons, threatening to release havoc upon the world. Although the weapons are often referred to as deterants, the danger is that the whole world could be effectively ended within minutes if someone decided to release their particular weapon upon an enemy state! I pray that today reminds the world leaders about the absolute devastation that these weapons bring. They do not distinguish between combatants or civilians. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Hi folks Please find the service sheet for Sunday 10th August 2025, Morning Prayer Two. As usual, we will be streaming the service via Facebook at 11am. Regards Johnny     
Post a Comment
Read more

August Hymns and Readings

 Hi folks Here's the next list for the readings, readers and hymns for our services throughout August. There are five Sundays this month, and in our normal pattern, our fifth Sunday will be a Cafe Church service in the Parish Hall. As ever - this is just a guide, if you need to swap your date - just let someone know. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to read each month, and if you'd like to join the list, please let the church wardens or the Rector know. If we need to do so, both David and the Rector are more than happy to fill in for any given reading! 
Post a Comment
Read more