The Angel Gabriel:

“Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head, ‘To me be it as pleaseth God, she said’”

Written by Ann Walker

This is the first part of the story of Christmas. A story we know well, angels, shepherds, Kings, Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus. This is like starting to read the first chapter of a book and realising we have read it before and know how it ends. Do we then skim read, maybe not paying quite as much attention to the details as we did before? This part of the story is only a few verses but contains so much about Mary.

The main characters in this chapter of the story are the Angel Gabriel and a young girl, Mary. Mary is betrothed to Joseph but not yet married. The Angel appears with a message from God telling her that she is to become pregnant with the Son of God to be named Jesus. We are not told what the angel looks like. Was it overpowering, was it frightening, was it full of light, was it n human form, was it just a voice? This is not a normal set of events. How must Mary have been feeling? How would we feel?

The answer that Mary gives to the Angel says so much about her. She was troubled and the angel tells her not to be afraid. She shows COURAGE and listens to the message. She questions the angel. She TRUSTS the Angel with the message. She has FAITH that this is a message from God. She shows HUMILITY as she bows her head. Mary shows her OBEDIENCE to God with her words “to me be it as pleaseth God”.

This may be only a small chapter in the amazing Christmas story but it shows why Mary was chosen to be the most blessed of women.

This is a story of courage, trust, obedience and faith. What a beginning to the story!