One of the biggest blessings anyone could have in life is to hear God say, "I am with you!"  That's exactly what happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Here's how Luke recorded it:  ²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 

What was it about Mary that caused her to be favored by God and to have God be with her?  We don't know for sure.  What we do know is Mary was chosen to become the mother of Jesus, God's Son, and the selection was so important the news was delivered by an angel.  As we'll see as we progress through the week, Mary received unique treatment by God, as she was being called to serve in a unique capacity--as the mother of Jesus.  Take a moment and put yourself in Mary's place.  How do you think you would have responded to being visited by an angel, actually THE angel, Gabriel, and being told you were both favored and that the Lord was with you?  I always try to imagine myself in the situations I read about in the Bible.  Over the years, it has helped me to gain a fresh perspective on passages I've read and studied many times.  It has also helped bring some of the passages to life once again for me. 

As we go about this Christmas season, how will we experience God being with us?  Obviously, we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, so wherever we go and whatever season of the year it is, we can KNOW that God is with us.  As we demonstrate the love and joy of Jesus when others around us succumb to the frenzy of the season often produced by our culture, we can help them to know that God is with them, too.  As you go about this day, make an intentional effort to show at least one person Jesus' presence by your letting the Spirit live in you!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Gabriel to Mary to let her know that You were with her so long ago, and thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to us, so we may know Your presence and live that presence toward others.  This we ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.