The Tuesday after Populus Sion Sunday, the Second Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 9, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 1:26-38 (NKJV)
1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Devotion
When the saints of God encounter angels in the Holy Scriptures their first reaction is typically one of fear. Here, the Virgin Mary is no exception. When Gabriel enters into her house she is troubled, wondering why he had come. However, Gabriel assures her that he has brought good news. The Savior would be born to her. The Son of God would soon be conceived in her womb! Just as the prophets foretold, Jesus would be great and would bring salvation to all who believe in Him.
Just as this first coming of Christ was good news for Mary and all believers, so the second coming of Christ is good news for us! While it is true that He will come to judge the living and the dead and “will render to each one according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6), believers can expect salvation. They can expect the gift of eternal life because they are justified by faith. They will not be judged by their sinful works, but by the righteous works of Jesus Christ who died for their sins.
We can rejoice at Jesus’ coming, for our redemption draws near! The Son of God will rescue us from this vale of tears and bring us to the unspeakable joys of His heavenly kingdom. There He “will reign over the house of Jacob forever, of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Collect: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine Only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
