“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31).

 Margaret and Kevin had been married for eight years. They had a great marriage, a beautiful home, good jobs, and even a golden retriever named Benny. But they had no children. This was such a great desire. They longed to have a family of their own. As they sat in Dr. Smith’s office that blustery winter day, they would never forget the words of their kind doctor. “Well folks, this is a happy day. I know how much you have wanted a baby. Margaret, you are indeed pregnant, and everything looks good for a normal pregnancy!” They laughed and cried and giggled and rejoiced all the way to the car. As Kevin put the keys in the ignition and started the engine, he turned to his wife and said, “We are so excited about our pregnancy. I wonder how in the world Mary must’ve felt as a young single virgin, when the angel told her of her pregnancy?” They spoke of that several times on the way home. Suddenly they had a new appreciation for the announcement that came to Mary. It was not in the clean clinic of a trained medical specialist. It was into that little town of Nazareth the angel Gabriel came with quite a birth announcement.

 For today: Let’s rejoice and give God great thanks for that glorious birth announcement given to Mary so long ago.