March 25th                                                             Luke 1:26-38

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, at first she felt confused and maybe a little scared - what he was telling her didn't make a lot of sense, and you don't see angels all the time.  But then she listened carefully to his message from God: Mary would have a baby in her belly who was Jesus!  And Jesus would have a cousin who would be John the Baptist, even though John's mom Elizabeth didn't think she could have a baby.  This was very exciting news!  God must love Mary a lot to give her His son Jesus in her belly - caring for babies is hard work, and God knew Mary would be a great mom.  Gabriel explained to Mary, "For nothing will be impossible with God."  Then, even though she was maybe still a little bit scared and confused, Mary trusted God and said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."  

Leaving ourselves open to the ways God calls us can be scary and confusing.  But when we trust God has chosen us to do His work, and that "nothing will be impossible with God", we can set aside our fears and reservations and share in God's plan for us.  We, too, are invited to carry God's light inside of us, care for it, and share it with the world.  

Melissa S. Hughes in consultation with
Cormac (age 6) and Fiona (age 4)