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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 named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27 HCSB
As a teenager I delivered the Gainesville Sun newspaper to people in my neighborhood in Gainesville, Florida. I would load up the big basket on the front of my bicycle and ride down the middle of the street throwing papers to the houses on both sides of the street. One year I won the Newspaper Boy of the Year award. In a sense, I was a messenger of the news. Unlike today when we have the internet to provide our news as soon as it breaks, in those days the newspaper was a major source of information.
Gabriel the angel was a messenger sent from God. He was delivering the message or news from God to Mary. “In the sixth month” is referring to the pregnancy of Elizabeth rather than the sixth month of the year. The name “angel” actually means messenger in Greek. Gabriel's main job seemed to be delivering important messages from God. More than 500 years earlier, Gabriel delivered a message to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:15-17, 9:21).
Challenge: As a Christian, God has sent you to be a messenger of the Good News of Jesus Christ. His final command to the disciples of Jesus was to “Go and make disciples.” That is still God's command. We are to go and share the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. How well are you serving as a messenger for God? He is depending on you and me to deliver the Good News to those we encounter each day.