Luke 1:26-33: a reflection

26Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” 29But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ 32He 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, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

The angel Gabriel announces to Mary the coming of the Son of the Most High, who will be given the throne of David and reign forever, the promised King whose kingdom will have no end. You will conceive and give birth to a son, Gabriel tells Mary, and you shall name 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 forever; there will be no end to his kingdom. To lowly Mary, favored by God, the angel announces astonishing news: she will bear a son who is the Son of the Most High, the promised King of David's line, whose reign will never end. The eternal King, long promised, was coming, and coming through her. This shows the coming of the Son of the Most High, the promised King whose kingdom has no end. The Son of the Most High comes as the promised King, to reign forever. Marvel at the coming of the eternal King, announced to lowly Mary. God's favor rested on the lowly to bring the King into the world. Christ the King has come, and his kingdom will never end.

Notice what Gabriel announces to Mary. First, God's favor rests on her, a lowly young woman of Nazareth: you have found favor with God. God chose the lowly and unlikely to bring his Son into the world. And second, the one she will bear: he will be great, the Son of the Most High; God will give him the throne of his father David; he will reign over God's people forever, and his kingdom will have no end. This is the announcement of the coming of the promised King, the eternal King of David's line, long awaited, now coming into the world through Mary. This holds the wonder at the heart of the gospel. The eternal King, the Son of the Most High, long promised, was coming, taking flesh, entering the world as a child, to reign forever. And he came not with worldly pomp, but through a lowly young woman on whom God's favor rested, entering the world in humility to become the King whose kingdom would never end. To grasp this is to marvel: that God so favored the lowly, that the Most High's own Son should come as a child, that the eternal King promised through the ages should now arrive, and that his kingdom, unlike every earthly kingdom, would have no end. We do well to marvel at and welcome the coming of this King, the Son of the Most High, whose kingdom has no end, and to bow before him. Marvel at the coming of the Son of the Most High, the promised eternal King. God favored the lowly Mary to bring the King into the world. Christ the King has come, and his kingdom will never end. Welcome and bow before the King whose reign has no end.

That is worth taking to heart, for the Son of the Most High has come as the promised King whose kingdom has no end, and we do well to marvel and bow before him, as Gabriel announced to Mary. We can miss the wonder of who came; but Gabriel announced the Son of the Most High, given David's throne, to reign forever. The eternal King has come. Marvel at the coming of the Son of the Most High, the promised King whose kingdom will never end, and welcome and bow before him. Marvel at and welcome the coming of the Son of the Most High, the promised King given the throne of David to reign forever, whose kingdom will never end, bowing before him, as the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the coming of the Son of the Most High, telling her she would bear a son to be named Jesus who would be great and called the Son of the Most High, given the throne of his father David, to reign forever with no end to his kingdom; for to lowly Mary, favored by God, the angel announced astonishing news, that she would bear a son who is the Son of the Most High and the promised King of David's line whose reign would never end, the eternal King long promised coming through her, which holds the wonder at the heart of the gospel, that the eternal King, the Son of the Most High, long promised, was coming and taking flesh and entering the world as a child to reign forever, not with worldly pomp but through a lowly young woman on whom God's favor rested, entering the world in humility to become the King whose kingdom would never end, so that to grasp this is to marvel that God so favored the lowly, that the Most High's own Son should come as a child, and that the eternal King's kingdom unlike every earthly kingdom would have no end, so that we do well to marvel at and welcome the coming of this King and bow before him.

Lord, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary the coming of the Son of the Most High, who will be given the throne of David and reign forever, the promised King whose kingdom will have no end. You will conceive and give birth to a son, Gabriel tells Mary, and you shall name 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 forever; there will be no end to his kingdom. To lowly Mary, favored by you, the angel announces astonishing news: she will bear a son who is the Son of the Most High, the promised King of David's line, whose reign will never end. The eternal King, long promised, was coming through her. Show me what Gabriel announces to Mary. First, your favor rests on her, a lowly young woman of Nazareth: you have found favor with God. You chose the lowly and unlikely to bring your Son into the world. And second, the one she will bear: he will be great, the Son of the Most High; you will give him the throne of his father David; he will reign forever, and his kingdom will have no end. This is the announcement of the coming of the promised King, the eternal King of David's line, now coming into the world through Mary. This holds the wonder at the heart of the gospel. The eternal King, the Son of the Most High, long promised, was coming, taking flesh, entering the world as a child, to reign forever. And he came not with worldly pomp, but through a lowly young woman on whom your favor rested, entering the world in humility. To grasp this is to marvel: that you so favored the lowly, that the Most High's own Son should come as a child, that the eternal King should now arrive, and that his kingdom, unlike every earthly kingdom, would have no end. Take that to my heart. Keep me from missing the wonder of who came; help me marvel at and welcome the coming of the Son of the Most High, Lord, the promised King given David's throne to reign forever, whose kingdom will never end, and bow before him, the King whose reign has no end.