The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:3838 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.I doubt that Mary fully understood all the implications of what the angel Gabriel told her in this moment.  Like the Christmas song, “Mary Did You Know,” I think there were a whole lot of things that Mary had no idea about.Did sh...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilitiesLuke 1:35-3735 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth m...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:3434 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”Throughout Scripture, it is common for someone who receives a call from God to first look at themselves and see all the reasons why they can’t possibly do what God has called them to do.Sarah was too old.Moses was a scared stutter..Jeremiah was too young.Isaiah was too sinful.Zechariah...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilitiesLuke 1:30-3330 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will n...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:28-298 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.Here again, as in the story from last week, an angel appears onto the scene; heaven and earth collide, and a human is allowed to peak behind the curtain into the realm of the kingdom of God....  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:26-2726 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.Luke is setting us up for the fulfillment of a long awaited prophecy.  He’s mentioned the promised predecessor, John the Baptist (ak...  Read More