And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:30-33)

I wonder how much of these promises Mary even noticed at the moment the angel was speaking to her. After all, her mind must have been taken up with the first incredible promise: "You will conceive and bear a Son." All the details about His greatness and kingdom could wait!

And yet, she did hear them—for she remembered them and passed them on to Luke the Gospel writer years later. This Jesus would be the royal Son of David, the true King of Israel. He would be the Son of God. And He would reign forever.

I can only suppose the Holy Spirit helped her to remember all this, even in a moment of shock. After all, Jesus promised the same divine help to His disciples in John 13:26. The Spirit would bring to their remembrance everything Jesus had told them—even through the shock of His death on the cross for our salvation, even through the joy of His resurrection. And ultimately they would pass those words of life on to us, so that we, too, might believe (see John 20:31).

Mothers treasure the promises of their children's greatness. And we treasure these words too, because they tell us about our beloved Savior Jesus—who loved us enough to give Himself for us.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, thank You for saving us. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

* When has shock made it hard for you to pay attention?

* How did you remember things later? Did someone remind you?

* What specific words do you treasure about someone you love?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Today's Bible Readings: Zechariah 9-10    Revelation 1

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