Gabriel—Messenger of God

A Word of Truth #154  

“Pssst! Here’s a note for you,” one student says to another as a message is passed. Messages may be good or bad, fun or troubling. It all depends upon the source and content of the message.

God has His own special messengers which He used at various times throughout Bible History. God’s heavenly messengers are His angels. One of God’s angels, Gabriel, delivered the news to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus—the Son of God. What a profound and amazing message!

Since Mary was still a virgin she wondered how she could have a son, so Gabriel continued with the rest of the message. “The Holy Spirit, Mary, will come upon you and conceive in you One who will be your son and at the same time the true Son of God, the Savior of the world!”

What amazing news for Mary! What amazing news for us! For in the person of Mary’s son, Jesus, we have a Savior who was born to save us from sin.

Mary was truly Blessed

A Word of Truth #155  

The Virgin Mary occupies a special place within Christian tradition. She was once described by her cousin Elizabeth as “blessed,” for she was to be the “mother of her Lord” (Luke 1:42-43,47). Yet, while we properly honor Mary as the person God chose to be Jesus’ mother, we certainly do not want to honor her in ways that conflict with the Bible.

Some suggest that Mary was born without sin, and that she serves as a co-redemtrix with her Son. The Bible, however, suggests no such thing. In fact, Mary herself acknowledged her need for a Savior. In her hymn of praise, known as the Magnificat, she says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” God sent Mary her Savior in the person of her own Son, Jesus. Let us join Mary this Christmas and rejoice in Jesus as our Savior.