Kids' Cove

An Angel Visits Mary

Luke 1

It happened in the days of Herod the king that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a maiden betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David. The name of the maiden was Mary.

The angel appeared to her and said, "Hail, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you; you are blessed among women."

When she saw him, she was startled at what he said, and she wondered to herself what this greeting could mean.

The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You are to have a son, and you shall call hes name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his forefather David. He shall rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, seeing that I have no husband?"

The angel answered and sid to her, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the child that is born will be called holy, the Son of God."

Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be as you have said." And the angel departed from her.

Mary rose up and started out in haste, and she went into the hill country to a town of Judah. She went to the house of Zacharias and his wife, her cousin Elisabeth.

And Mary greeted Elisabeth with these words:

Song of Mary

"Oh, how my soul does praise the Lord,
    And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For he has taken notice of his servant
    in her lowly station,
For, behold, from this time forth
    all generation shall call me blessed.
For he who is mighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name!
His mercy shines on those
    who do him reverence,
    from generation to generation.
He has done a might deed with his arm,
He has scattered the proud in their plotting,
He has put down the mighty
    from their seats of power,
    and has lifted up the poor.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    mindful of his mercy,
As he promised our fathers, to have mercy
    upon Abraham and his descendants forever."

Mary stayed with her cousin about three months, and then returned to her home.