MONDAY Luke 1:26-38
Picture the smallest, least important backwater town you’ve ever seen. Nazareth was that kind of place at the time of this story. Mary was probably no older than fourteen, given what we know of Israel’s marriage customs then. We read this story with a sense of anticipation (“it’s Christmas!”). But Mary had no reason at all to expect Gabriel’s astounding news.
• The angel said to Mary, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” But that didn’t mean tinsel and bright lights, much less luxury and comfort. Mary’s “favored” life brought her great challenges—starting with explaining her pregnancy to her fiancé and (probably) her parents. Do you sometimes wish God’s favor toward you meant only happiness and ease? How does Mary’s life show the sacrifices God’s favor may call for?
• What would you look for if you had to choose the Messiah’s mother? Why would God choose Mary? One major sign lies in her reply to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant…. May your word to me be fulfilled.” How can you respond to God as she did?
TUESDAY 2 Sam. 7:4-17
Gabriel told Mary her son would receive “the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32). For a devout Hebrew like Mary, that phrase brimmed with meaning. God had promised David that his house and kingdom would “endure forever.” To human eyes, that wasn’t happening—Rome ruled Israel. But the hope still lived. The Messiah, Israel believed, would be the promised “son of David.”
• No doubt David, Nathan the prophet and most Israelites thought God’s pledge applied to Solomon, David’s heir as king of Israel. Only later events forced people to ask: is the promise true? If so, how? Have you ever found that God takes a longer-range view of your life than you do? How do you develop patience and trust in God’s promises?
• In verse 8, God reminded David that he was as unlikely a person as Mary would later be. “I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.” Are you open to the likelihood that God wants to work through you?
WEDNESDAY Jeremiah 23:1-6
By Jeremiah’s day, David’s kingdom was no more. The leaders had failed. The Assyrian Empire destroyed the breakaway northern tribes. The southern kingdom, Jeremiah’s home, would soon be overrun by Babylon’s army. The prophet said God would raise up “a branch” (a descendant) of David. He would be a Savior, a good shepherd to God’s scattered people.
• Focus on the actions and qualities the prophet described in verses 5-6. In what ways do you believe Jesus fulfilled these words in the course of his earthly life? Are there parts of this passage that you see as awaiting fulfillment in the future, when God’s reign is fully established over the earth?
• Verses 1-2 remind us that God cares deeply how we use our influence (whether over one person or thousands). What do you do, in whatever sphere you have influence, to be a “shepherd” who builds people up, rather than destroying and scattering them? How do you want God to help you grow so you can be the kind of shepherd God blesses?
THURSDAY Daniel 8:15-18, 9:20-23
God, Luke reported matter-of-factly, entrusted the angel Gabriel with the crucial message to Mary. (Luke first named Gabriel in Luke 1:19, which we’ll read in two weeks.) But who was this divine messenger? Israelites knew. They’d become familiar with his name in the visions of the Old Testament book of Daniel, where he also brought messages from God.
• What’s your mental image of an “angel”? (If it’s a plump infant with short wings, you’re not alone. But that image is from medieval art, not the Bible.) What do these verses hint about the kind of being Gabriel is? Hebrews 1:14 asked, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” How can you keep your heart and perceptions open to any angel messengers God may send you along your journey?
• Daniel says he met Gabriel while “watching the vision” and in prayer. Mary, as far as we know, was just going about her daily business when she met the angel. In what settings have you had your most vivid encounters with God’s presence?
FRIDAY Isaiah 9:2-7
“To us,” said Isaiah’s prophecy, “a child is born, to us a son is given.” His words had echoed through the centuries. “Wonderful counselor, mighty God….He will reign on David’s throne, forever.” Imagine Mary’s feelings as it dawned on her that the “us” in that famous prophecy now meant her. She was the one who would bear the long-promised child.
• “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Yet even after meeting Jesus, Paul would write, “Now we see a dim reflection” (1 Corinthians 13:12). In what ways has Jesus already lit up your dark world? In what ways are you waiting for the full glory of God’s light?
• We sometimes miss verse 5 of Isaiah’s message: “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning.” The child to be born, he said, would be called “Prince of Peace.” How can you more fully follow the Prince of Peace, and resolve conflicts in his way, in your day-to-day dealings with others?
SATURDAY Isa 42:1-4
Isaiah said God’s servant would do big things in quiet ways that might at first seem small to us. After Jesus grew up, his home town’s reputation led Nathanael to ask, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46). Yet in that tiny town, God found a teenager with no husband and no social status. Through her, God entered decisively into human history. God didn’t “shout”—but Jesus quietly changed the world in big, big ways.
• “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Does the way God goes about changing our broken world ever feel too slow or weak to you? Do you wonder at times why God doesn’t simply write the divine laws in the clouds, or send a plague to wipe out all human traffickers or predatory loan sharks? In what quiet, loving, and effective ways can you join in God’s movement to transform our world for the better?