Luke 1:26-38
Lead in: The angel appeared to Mary and said, “Hail full of grace. The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 In other words, Mary, you are full of grace. The beauty of the Lord shines through you. What if we could see that in ourselves, that we too are full of grace and the beauty of the Lord shines through us?
Prompt: When is it in your life that you find it hardest to believe that the beauty of the Lord could shine through you?
Prompt: If you could see the beauty in yourself that God sees in you, how might your life change?
Lead in: Luke 1:29 continues, “But she (Mary) was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what this greeting might mean.”
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you were greatly troubled by something and were not able to figure why it was happening? How was that for you?
Lead in: When told that she was to bear a son, Mary said to the angel, “But how can this be?”
Prompt: Reflect on a time when confronted with a situation you did not want to accept. Like Mary, you may have been saying “But how can this be?” How was that for you?
Lead in: When the angel informed Mary that Elizabeth in her old age had conceived a son, he reminded her “nothing is impossible for God.”
Prompt: If there were one miracle that seems impossible that only God could pull off, what would you want that miracle to be?
Lead in: Even though she didn’t fully understand, Mary gave her “fiat” yes to God when she says, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done according to your word.” Like Mary, faith calls us to trust enough that we can give our “fiat” yes to God, letting it be done to us not as we want it but as God wills it.
Prompt: What is it that you are struggling with where you need to trust as Mary did, giving your “fiat” yes saying, “Lord I am your humble servant. Let it be done not as I want it but according to your will”?