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December 22, 2025

In Luke 1, verse 26, we find a young woman named Mary at home, probably doing something entirely normal, when an angel appears. This is a messenger from God named Gabriel. He says to Mary: “Greetings! The Lord is with you.”

Can you imagine? This would be the shock of my life! But Gabriel is only getting started. He goes on to tell Mary that, even though she is a virgin, she is about to conceive a baby, and the child in her womb will be the son of God.

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30-35)

Can you imagine a more startling day than this day? This is the most unexpected of surprise pregnancies. Imagine what sort of shocked emotions were going through Mary’s head and heart at this moment.

Friends, we have been lighting candles in the darkness these past few weeks, hoping, trusting, that God’s light of redemption would break through—just as Israel had for generations, just as creation has groaned for eons.

And this is how God’s light first sparks to life in the darkness. This is where the preparations for the first Christmas begin: with a young woman, approached by God, and given a calling.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Describe a time when you were very startled or surprised. What was it like? How did you feel?
  • How do you think Mary felt about an angel suddenly appearing in her home? How do you think she felt about his news?
  • How is God breaking through the darkness with His light in your life, family, neighborhood and community? Where is God asking you to carry His light?

Church Reading Plan: 2 Chronicles 26; Revelation 13