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?” Luke 1 : 26-34 (NIV)

In our day and age women seem to be surprised when (having been sexually active) they find out that they are pregnant. Can you imagine the surprise Mary felt being told she would be pregnant never having been intimate with a man?

I woke up this morning wondering about how Mary might have felt—how I would’ve felt had I been in her shoes. Before this supernatural interaction with the angel Gabriel, Mary’s relationship with God and others would have been one of obedience and silent submission to those in authority over her. She probably worked hard to follow the laws of God, the rules of her home and community, and loved her parents and siblings with a willing spirit. She was a good girl, sincerely following God—favored by God.

Then Gabriel came and told her she was going to give birth to the Son of the Most High God—the prophesied and long-awaited Messiah. WOW! How could this be?

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. Luke 1 : 35-38 (NIV)

How do you recover from this kind of news?

Zachariah doubted Gabriel’s pronouncement, but it seems Mary had more faith than her relative, the priest.

Zachariah temporarily lost the ability to speak after hearing the news of his baby. Mary was able to speak, but what was she going to say to her parents? Or to Joseph, her fiancé? It was not only unlawful to be pregnant out of marriage, but it meant shame to Mary and her whole family. Would anyone believe her innocence? Would people stare and gossip? Would she be turned out of the community or worse be stoned for promiscuity?

How courageous Mary was! Who would’ve thought the Messiah would come into the world in this way—a baby of an unmarried virgin?

Yet Isaiah had said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel...For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6)

Surely hearing from the Lord, Mary must’ve felt anxious, alone, unsure—and yet, she must’ve had moments of amazement, joy, eager anticipation. I’m sure she did a lot of praying! Did she re-visit Gabriel’s message over and over in her head?

“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.“

The next thing Luke tells us in his narrative is that Mary went to the hill country to see her cousin Elizabeth. (1: 39-40)

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!” Luke 1 : 41-45 (NIV)

God surprises us with the news of Jesus as well. God is still in the business of divine interactions with human beings. He still surprises us in the ways he fulfills his promises —his purposes.

Do you doubt like Zachariah or do you trust God with the unbelievable news of our Savior?

Look for surprises from God with me as we anticipate celebrating the birth of our Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!