Pastor's Column"The Annunciation of our Lord"
The other day I was looking at my religious calendar and my eyes rested on March 25, the date for this editorial. And then this topic appeared. "The Annunciation of Our Lord." For a moment a question arose in my mind. What do they mean by the Annunciation of our Lord?
Then it dawned on me. March 25 is the date exactly nine months before Christmas and our celebration of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. What happened nine months before Jesus was born? Luke 1:26-38 tells us all about it.
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 be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One be to born will be called the Son of God...."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Luke chapter 2 tells us the rest of the story - the message of the birth of Jesus Christ.
But what if Mary had said, "NO," to the angel Gabriel? She had every reason to refuse his message. She wasn't even married. What if she had gotten an abortion? Millions of women get abortions these days. If Mary had said, "No," or gotten an abortion then the Christmas story and Luke chapter 2 would never have been written.
But thank God Mary was moved by the Holy Spirit to become the mother of Jesus. And thank God you and I are moved by the Holy Spirit to confess our sins to God and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
St. Paul tells all of us, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household." (Acts 16:31)
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