ADVENT DAY 1: Dec. 1 – Angel Gabriel, God’s Chosen Messenger
Devotional
Have you ever wondered what the angel who carried God’s message to the world thought about that task? Gabriel was the angel chosen by God to tell:
- Zechariah that he and his wife would have a son who would prepare the way for God
- Mary that she would mother Christ
- Joseph that he should not be offended by Mary’s pregnancy and marry her anyway
- The shepherds that their Savior was born and encourage them to tell the world
- Joseph again, to take his child, the son of God, to Egypt to avoid being slaughtered by a king
Those are challenging circumstances and very difficult messages! How can you convince someone well past their childbearing years that they will soon be a parent? What do you say to a young teenage girl who is cowering in your presence that she will become pregnant and bear a child even though she’s never been with a man? How do you convince a man that the woman who was promised to him was pregnant (not by him) and that he should accept her and the child as his own anyway?
If I were Gabriel, I would have been thinking, “Are you kidding me Lord? They’ll never believe those messages.” And then, after carrying out his mission, apologizing to God for ever doubting Him. Gabriel finishes his assignment with Mary, makes sure she is willing, and leaves her as the Holy Spirit comes upon her, pleased he was able to do what God had entrusted to him and ready for his next assignment.
Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Luke 1:26-38
Key Verse: “The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35)
Pray: Take a moment to thank God for Mary's faith in the LORD. Ask him to give us the determination and strength of Gabriel to accomplish what He call us to do and give us the heart of Mary to be ready to obey no matter what you ask. Ask God to prepare us for spiritual battles.
Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Share with your family any spiritual battles you’ve faced in the past and how you were able to overcome them. Talk about things that seem too big to handle and ask God to help you attack them one small step at a time.
Activity:
- Advent Tree: make or select an ornament of an angel and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
- Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #1, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
- Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., put up the Christmas decorations). Family Activities
Look Out – Connect with Others
Look into ministries and nonprofit organizations in your town; check out those your church may have a partnership with – see if they have any Christmas wishes for those they serve and decide as a family to meet one or more of those needs this Advent season.