Luke 1:34-35 The angel Gabriel speaks of the Holy Spirit

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

When many people think of the Holy Spirit, they think of Pentecost and the disciples talking in tongues. It is easy to assume that the Holy Spirit is the aspect of God we experience after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. The Holy Spirit however can be found throughout the Bible – both Old and New Testaments – and we read today of the Holy Spirit being involved in the conception of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, then, can be understood as God moving in the world, and it is how many people directly experience God in their lives today. As it did for Mary, the Holy Spirit directs us to what is holy in our lives – where God is moving us towards – and it is a source of both wonder and blessing.

Luke 1:29-33 The angel Gabriel foretells the birth of Jesus

But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Right from the outset, Mary is uncertain about the message Gabriel is bringing and the words he is using. It’s almost as if she realized that being ‘favoured’ wasn’t going to be as simple as it might sound. And she’s right. We know that the life ahead for Mary will have challenges and sorrow – and yet she is described as favoured. Finding favour with God, however, is less about leading a life of untroubled bliss and more about being empowered to do God’s will and to follow his path. In that sense, each one of us can find favour with God. God can strengthen us and inspire us to follow his path. Our lives form part of the story that flows across the centuries, connecting us to those believers who have gone before us. This thread runs all the way back to the Son of the Most High, and his mother, who accepted the words of the angel Gabriel and was blessed with courage and patience.