Day 24

An Angel Visits Mary



Luke 1:26-38, Job 33:4, Isaiah 7:14, Daniel 7:13-14

BY Scarlet Hiltibidal

Section 3: The Light Dawns


I have three daughters who are the proud owners of two rabbits. We’ve tried and failed at a lot of animals, but bunnies seem to suit us. My oldest has a special bond with Puffy, who is, as my daughter describes her, “a perfect puff ball of love.” My youngest daughter has a special love for Flopsie, who is, in her words, “a floppy-eared buttercup of cuteness.” Our middle daughter likes Lego. Don’t worry about it.

Something I’ve noticed about my girls since they’ve become bunny owners is their fixation on rabbit life spans. Both of our rabbits have had surgeries that are supposed to prolong their lives by eliminating the risk of certain diseases. But my girls are old enough to know that all life ends in death, even after preventative surgeries. Often, we’ll discuss prayer requests and my daughters pray that Puffy and Flopsie, “will live longer than any other bunnies have ever lived.” How many years they might live is the topic of a lot of conversations.

Isn’t it a natural desire within us, that we don’t want the good stuff to end? We don’t want the things we love to die. 

In today’s reading, we remember the miracle of Jesus’s birth. We remember the beauty of the promise Jesus brought with Him—the hope of a kingdom that has no end. What our hearts always hope will be true is actually true in Jesus. 

“His kingdom will have no end…” —Luke 1:33

The love we experience in Christ is eternal. We don’t have to enjoy it for a season and then say goodbye. And there are no special surgeries we have to schedule or endure or pay for in hopes that we might get to keep it a little longer.

Jesus did the hard part. When He came down to this broken place of pain, when He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy and entered the world the way the angel told Mary He would, when He gave up His life to save ours, He gave us access to His kingdom—His forever, eternal-life kingdom, where love is complete and secure and never goes away. 

It hurts my heart to think about all the loss my girls will experience as they grow up. They’ll lose toys they love and pets they love and even people they love. But what a thrilling hope we have, that the kingdom of God has no end. Because of Jesus, we can live forever with Him and for Him.

Post Comments (76)

76 thoughts on "An Angel Visits Mary"

  1. Brandy Deruso says:

    Lord I thank you lord

  2. Lindsey M says:

    ❤️

  3. Erika Swango says:

    To have no end of an amazing kingdom ❤️

  4. Corey Zimmerman says:

    Love this reading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *