Once upon a time, in the early ages of the world, people believed that storms and droughts and sickness were sent by angry gods and goddesses. To the ancient people, the universe was a fearful place, a place of chaos, a place of danger, and the only way to stay safe was to offer sacrifices to try and please the gods. Ancient peoples would sacrifice a portion of the crops, they would sacrifice animals, and in some cases, they even sacrificed humans. But then came a people who learned the truth. God revealed himself to the chosen people as the one God, the only God, and made a covenant with them through Abraham: He would be their God, and they would be his people. He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. And although the people tried to live out their part of the covenant, they often failed to do God’s will. They worshipped a golden calf while Moses was receiving the Law on Mount Sinai. They grumbled and complained as they traveled through the desert. But God remained ever faithful, leading them through the desert to the promised land, eventually anointing David as their king. And yet still the people struggled to obey the will of God. King David himself sent Uriah to his death, so he could have Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. Solomon’s sons fought among themselves, dividing up the kingdom, and making it vulnerable to attack from the Babylonians and the Assyrians. The leaders of the people betrayed the covenant, and worshipped the false gods of their conquerors. They slipped ever more into sin and death. And although the prophets tried to call the leaders back to righteousness, it became ever more clear that the people could not do it on their own. They were trapped by their own pride, envy, lust, anger, gluttony. They needed help. And God promised a savior, a king who be greater even than David. Through the prophets, God promised the people, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” “He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD… He shall be peace.” “Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low.” And so the chosen people waited. And waited. They waited all the long years they were in exile. They waited all the long years after they returned from exile. They waited as they were conquered by the Greeks, and they waited as the Greeks were then conquered by the Romans. For decades they waited; for generations they waited; for centuries they waited. As the Christmas hymn goes, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining.” The world, the universe, pined for the one who would come to save it. And then, one day, when the time was just right, a messenger was sent by God: Gabriel, the angel of the Lord. And the entire universe watched in suspense, peeking down upon earth to see who Gabriel was sent to visit, and how God’s message would be received. Gabriel was not sent to world leaders, or religious leaders. or business leaders. He was not sent to a rich man, to an influential man, or to any man at all. Gabriel was sent to a young girl, a quiet young woman of faith, who lived an ordinary, simple life.