The Tuesday after Populus Sion Sunday, The Second Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 10, 2024 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
Today’s passage from St. Luke shows the weight of the reality of all salvation history. The Word is to be made flesh, God among us. At the hearing of the Word, the blessed virgin Mary conceives the Only-begotten Son of God by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mary receives this Word and believes.
And yet, this passage has also been used in ways that may cause distraction from what is happening in the text itself. The Papists wish to import extraordinary meaning to the angel’s greeting to Mary when he says, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” They emphasize her more than the Savior that made her so blessed. Others with good intentions use this passage to determine major dates for the Christian calendar, which is an admirable endeavor compared to the Papist twisting of Scripture for their Marian dogmas. But if arguments over dates and outward observances draw us away from the clear events of God’s wonderful work, we are focused on lesser things.
Regardless of the motive or intention, if the weight of the text is not taken first, we miss the sheer awesomeness and scope of what is happening. The Word-made-flesh is being conceived. From the moment of conception, our Lord was true God and man, coming to save His people from their sins. This cannot be downplayed, whether for the calendar or the Papists. For with God nothing will be impossible.
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.
Collect for the Season of Advent
Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; Who livest and reignest with the Father 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.
