Monday 8 December 2025 - The Lord is with you

Monday 8 December 2025

Today is Monday the 8th of December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the 2nd week of Advent. The Brilliance sing ‘Mother of God’. Mary, full of grace The Lord your God is with thee Blessed are you to bless all the world Mary, peace is yours The Spirit is upon you You will be with child, do not fear Mother of God Your baby boy will grant us peace Your baby boy will grant us peace Word made flesh Born of virgin Mary Hope is in the world, Emmanuel The Lamb of God Born to die, He came He would show the world a better way Emmanuel God with us, God with us Emmanuel God with us, God with us Son of God Hear Your people calling All cry out for peace, can you hear? In our despair We doubt in Your return Messiah, will You come once again? Emmanuel God with us, God with us Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke. Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. Today’s passage recounts the Annunciation: the angel Gabriel visits Mary, announcing that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate Mary’s unique gift of grace—enabling her to freely and fully say “yes” to God. What is your understanding of this young woman who will become the Mother of God? One way of praying is to experience a piece of Scripture through the senses. We meet God in the freeing spirit of our own imagination. This reading from Luke is so evocative that it has inspired countless works of art. Where would you place Mary? How warm or cool is it? How is Mary dressed? Wrapped in rugs and sheepskins? Or dressed in homespun, maybe walking thoughtfully... Perhaps she is in a comfortable corner somewhere, praying over the Scriptures, asking God to be with her as she anticipates her forthcoming marriage? Is she prepared for the request the angel will make of her? Are you prepared, in your everyday life, to encounter the divine? How does Gabriel come to Mary? By simply appearing, as if from nowhere? As a stranger with an even stranger request? How might you recognise encounters with the Divine in your life? How ready are you to say “yes” to what God asks of you? As you listen to the passage again, consider what it means to know God’s love with such intimacy. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. “Nothing is impossible to God.” Take a moment to rest in the intimacy of God’s love for you—and respond in your own way. O Wisdom Lord and Ruler Root of Jesse Key of David Rising Sun King of the Nations Emmanuel Come, Lord Jesus