Advent resources to share with your worship community for use at home through the week

Geoff Hays, www.geoffrey-hays.co.uk

In the sixth month after Elizabeth became pregnant, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to Mary. She was engaged to a man called Joseph. The angel came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you!’

But Mary was confused by what he had said and wondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. King of a kingdom that has no end. King of all God’s people.’

Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, because I am not yet married?’

The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is also six months pregnant, even though she is old. For nothing will be impossible with God.’

Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let what you have said be done to me.’

Then the angel left her.