... God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. The angel greeted Mary and said, "You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you."
Mary was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant. Then the angel told Mary, "Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you, and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen? I am not married!"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. Nothing is impossible for God!"
Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said." And the angel left her.
(Luke 1:26-38 CEV)
Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding. While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel," which means "God is with us."
After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord's angel had told him to do.
(Matthew 1:19-24 CEV)
3 comments:
Have you ever heard Amy Grant's version of "Breath of Heaven"? Such a beautiful song-- but it must have been terrifying to be a single pregnant teenager in Israel.
This is nice. I actually collaborated with another writer this year and we wrote the birth of Jesus as if it had happened in 2010. It was very interesting the issues we threw in there, like abortion, illegal immigration, and the different forms Satan can take. It was fun and, at times, a truly difficult experience, since we had to make it compatible with the way people view the world today. Thanks for sharing these verses.
♥ Mary Mary
Luke 1:37 is my fav verse! :)
Thanks for posting--what an awesome way to prepare for the Christmas season.
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