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Tag Archives: Gabriel

Matthew 1:18-24

21 Dec

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-24

Dear God, I have two thoughts as I read this story for the umpteenth time this morning. First, like Mary, the angel is keeping Joseph on a need-to-know basis. All Joseph needs to know right now is that it’s okay to take Mary as his wife. He doesn’t need to know about the trials and tribulations of the road ahead. He doesn’t need to know the whole plan.

I went to a funeral yesterday for an 84-year-old woman who had her first date with her husband 70 years ago when they were both 14 years old and lived three houses down from each other in Pittsburg. I like to joke I haven’t had a “first date” since I was 19. Well, I don’t think either of these two ever had more than one “first date.” The 14-year-old dreamers never knew what life would hold for them. They didn’t know that the end of her life would involved Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer. They were on a need-to-know basis, and they didn’t need to know. The same is true for all of us.

The other thought occurred to me during her funeral yesterday. I wonder how many people Gabriel might have appeared to that wasn’t reported. We get Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph (in that order). But were there others? There are a couple I hope got visits just to give Mary and Joseph the support they needed. I hope Mary’s parents got a visit. I hope Gabriel told them they could believe Mary. And I hope Mary’s sister who was with her at the crucifixion got a visit at some point. I would like to think you gave Mary at least one person who was completely supportive and as confused as anyone when Jesus died. I hate to think Mary was standing there at the foot of the cross with a sister who was judging her and her son. I prefer to think she was at least almost as devastated as Mary was when Jesus breathed his last and then as vindicated and joyous as Mary was after the resurrection.

Father, I thank you that you didn’t give me the gift of prophecy. I thank you for ignorance. I thank you for my weakness. I have experienced great provision from you lately. I feel a little guilty about it, but maybe it’s something you want us to have so that we can be good stewards of it to others. So help me to be a good steward in real time so that you are glorified in everything my life stands for and everything I do. For your glory, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, and not mine.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Luke 1:26-38

20 Dec

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38

Dear God, I’ve read this passage and journaled on this passage so many times that it’s hard for me to look at it in a fresh way. But when I looked at it this morning, I thought of Gabriel and these jobs he was given by you. Now I want to be clear that there is no way I can even pretend to see anything from Gabriel’s perspective. Nor should I be able to. He is an archangel. I am at the bottom of the creation food chain. It’s like my dog understanding how to get to Europe by leaving our home and traveling by plane. She just has no frame of reference for that. And I have no frame of reference for what Gabriel saw and knew at that point.

However, I can observe what I have the benefit of knowing that he left out of his speech to Mary (and Zechariah and Joseph for that matter). In fact, before I go down this road, let me just consider that he was the messenger to all three of them in this. From heaven’s standpoint, this must have been an amazing inflection point in the space/time continuum.

But back to what he left out, he left out the difficult physical circumstances when Mary gave birth. He left out the flight to Egypt, the boys in Bethlehem being murdered, the difficulty in raising a perfect child, the conflict between Jesus and his siblings and hometown, the doubts about his sanity, the brutal death, and the ultimate losing of Jesus to the ascension. This was not an easy path for Mary to walk. It didn’t lead to power and wealth in her earthly life. It didn’t lead to ease. Simeon was the first one to tell her that her soul would be pierced through this child’s life. That he would cause people in Israel to stumble. Gabriel left all of that out here. Why? Because she was on a need-to-know basis, and it would not have blessed her to know that path ahead.

Father, I’m on a need-to-know basis too. Help me stay in the moment. Help me to look for you in the moment. Help me to be at peace. You know what my hopes are. You know the desires of my heart. But I know that my desires and your plans might not overlap, and I am willing to lay my desires at the foot of your cross and say, “Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I just ask for my daily bread and that you will forgive me and help me to forgive others. Please keep me from temptation and give me the strength to walk away from it.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 20, 2025 in Luke

 

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Matthew 1:18-25

18 Dec

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Dear God, I think Joseph wanted to believe Mary. He wanted it for her sake. He wanted it for his own sake. He didn’t want to be angry. He didn’t want to abandon her. He certainly didn’t want to disgrace her or have her stoned. So when he had this dream, he was totally willing to go with it. I say this because if this dream came to me and I didn’t want to follow it then I’d have done an Ebeneezer Scrooge and blamed the vision on something I ate. But Joseph went with the dreams you sent him.

I’ve said it many times, but as a man, there is no biblical character I admire more than Joseph. The guy is just awesome. Give me someone in history outside of my paternal grandfather I’d like to have dinner with and pepper with questions and get to know him, and it would be Joseph. I trust you’d help me overcome the language barrier when I’m with him. In fact, if it’s possible, I look forward to visiting with him one day in the next life. His character just seems so remarkable. I’d love to know how it developed and who he was as a man.

Father, I guess this is just another day when I say that I want to offer myself to you in a selfless way. I want to be the kind of man who wants to see the best and assume the best in others. I want to want to do the absurd thing not only because it’s what you call me to do but because it fits within my moral code regardless of its absurdity. I want to want to love the sinful and unlovable. Help me to be all these things today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Luke 1:26-38

12 Dec

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38

Dear God, this is a story I’ve read so many times, but I suppose there’s always something new to be found. Today, what’s occurring to me is that Mary had this great affirmation in the moment that she was completely in your will, favored by you, and be part of your plan for Israel and the world. Not bad for a young, poor woman.

It makes me think about the few times in my life when I felt like I was right in the middle of your will. So many times–almost all of the time–I feel like I’m just guessing, but there have been a few times when I knew I was doing what you wanted me to do, and you were blessing my work. It actually left me afraid of doing something that would get outside of your will. It’s like Peter walking on water. He was doing great until he wasn’t. Oh, how I would like for my “great” moments to last. And when I say “great,” I mean doing exactly what you would have me to do.

Father, I am overwhelmed by the work in front of me. Help me to do it well. I am overwhelmed by the friends who need prayer. The coworker with a sick child. The cousin with a sick daughter. My niece with a significant medical procedure today. My friend who just lost her husband. My other friend who is recovering from surgery. And these are just a few friends from this week. Help them. Help me help them. Comfort. Heal. Love. Forgive. Redeem. Teach.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 12, 2025 in Luke

 

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Luke 1:26-38

08 Dec

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38

Dear God, I’ve read this story so many times that it’s hard to get a new feel for it, but what stood out to me this morning was the idea that you had Mary on a need-to-know basis, and there was a lot she didn’t need to know. If you had given her a vision for how the next 33 years would play out, she probably would have crumbled in tears. Bethlehem. Egypt. Mocking. Crucifixion. Even the ascension after resurrection. This visit by Gabriel tells her what will happen in the unseen world, but she thinks it’s what’s going to happen in this world. But she doesn’t need to know.

Neither do I. Oh, how it’s so much better that I don’t know what’s next. I can make my plans, but I need to just do my best to serve you in the moment. To put my head down and embrace the path. To worship you, which Mary did. To love others, which Mary did. And then take life as it comes, which Mary did. A sword out pierce her soul (thank you, Simeon [Matthew 2:35]), but she didn’t need to know that right now. And my life will play out in ways that I don’t need to know either. It reminds me of the Garth Brooks song “The Dance.” The chorus: “And now, I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end. The way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.”

Father, here I am. I’m here to worship and to embrace the words Mary spoke in response to all of this: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Whatever that truth is, I embrace it as your path for the little life you have given me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2025 in Luke

 

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Joy to the World by John Piper – Advent Day 24

24 Dec

7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 

1 John 3:7-8

Dear God, first, when I just sat down and saw the words “Joy to the World” for the title of this collection of daily readings, it made me think of the Keith Green song “Easter Song.” The chorus: “Joy to the world! He is risen. Halleluiah!” This is just the beginning of the bigger story. The plan is in motion. It had always been in motion, but now human eyes are starting to see it take shape. You are coming forth from Mary. The incarnation! And you will die. And you will rise again. And Satan will be destroyed along with his works.

I have to say, it doesn’t feel like he’s been destroyed yet. My wife and I cried together this morning over a sorrow in our lives. No, his works are not destroyed. They are still causing all kinds of problems. And we seem to hold onto them.

Our small town weekly paper does a page this time of year for local pastors to write something for the community. I think there were six pastor messages this year. I read them all. The one I am holding onto today is the last one. He encouraged us to have the faith of Mary. Mary accepted Gabriel’s charge. And yes, she might have had some buyer’s remorse and fear after the angel left, but she still had faith. She still pressed on. And she lived a hard life. And she suffered. She had sorrow. She had pain. A sword pierced her very soul, as Simeon predicted in Luke 2:35.

Father, I don’t understand how you defeated Satan’s plans or what that looks like from your perspective, but I do not have to understand. As I prayed with my wife this morning: I believe. Help my unbelief. I have faith. Help my lack of faith. I worship you. Help me me to worship you well and sin no more. And may it all be for the sake of your name being made hallowed, your kingdom coming to earth, and your will being done on earth as it is in heaven. You have given me more than my daily bread in terms of material needs, but give me my daily bread of emotional needs and healing. Comfort. Keep me from temptation and deliver me and those I love from Satan’s plans. Deliver us all from Satan’s plans. All glory and honor are yours, now and forever, Father.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 24, 2024 in 1 John, Advent 2024

 

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