2026 Lent Devotions
Wednesday, March 25
The Annunciation of our Lord
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 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. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 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. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
“… 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. …”
Typically, when one reads this passage, what grabs their attention is the virgin birth. Throughout history, this aspect of the story has been debated by theologians and scholars from various traditions. What usually gets lost in the shuffle is the pronouncement by the angel of who Jesus is to be.
While we may assume we know that pronouncement, revisiting it clearly indicates the breath and depth of Jesus’ ministry. Greatness is the first aspect. Jesus will tower over any other earthly ruler. He will be called Son of the Most High. Later, that’s condensed into Son of God. No other person holds that specific title. His reign will mirror that of the greatest of kings – David, and his status will be the one long promised through God’s covenant with David – “one of your sons will reign forever and ever.” Finally, his kingdom will fulfill the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – I will bless you, and through you all the nations will be blessed. This is who Jesus is to be.
While Mary’s part in this drama is exciting, necessary, and a tribute to her willingness to obey the Lord, her son is and always will be the focus of the story. When we lose sight of that, we miss the import of who the angel calls Mary to bear.
Prayer: Thank you, Most Holy One, for sending Jesus to be born of Mary. Remind us again and again of who Jesus is and what he called to be that we may honor and praise Him above all else. Amen.