When Luke wrote his Gospel, as his account of Jesus' life, he had to choose what were the key events which he wanted to record. For example, he didn't bother to write about the famous visit of the magi from Persia and that Jesus' parents had to keep him safe by taking him to Egypt for a while. Matthew had possibly already written at least a first draft of his account of that (Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 - 23), and there were things to consider which other people hadn't mentioned. So what he did include must have been important to him, especially since he often wrote in so much detail.
The first event of importance for Luke was the announcement to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a special baby (Luke chapter 1, verses 5 - 25). You might think that having an angel turn up while you're working in the Temple would have been enough to convince you that what he was saying was true, but maybe you're less susceptible to human doubts than Zechariah. He struggled to understand how at their age he and his wife could possibly have a baby - it was a biological impossibility. Perhaps a priest should have remembered how old Abraham and Sarah had been when Isaac was born. But in the heat of the moment we don't think of these things, do we?
Next, Luke tells us that this same angel, Gabriel, went to a lady called Mary going on for six months later (Luke 1:26-36). She also was to have a special baby. Mary quite rightly asked how this would be (not if it would be, like Zechariah), because in her case she wasn't married; Gabriel told her that the boy's father would be God. Mary accepted this unquestioningly. She had had a discussion about the details, but never crossed a line into disrespect. Instead, she was extremely well behaved, even though she must have had all sorts of emotions going on: she was going to be the mother of the Son of God; she was going to be unmarried and pregnant, which was very dangerous in those days because of the potential religious penalties which could even involve death; what indeed would her fiancé have to say about it?
God is always willing to talk to us and even puts up with our emotional responses, although he might tell us off a bit if they go too far. Doubting him, though, is not without its consequences, as Zechariah discovered - he was not able to talk for nine months after questioning the accuracy of what Gabriel told him. It's so easy to interpret what God says to fit into our own understanding of what can be, rather than accepting the miraculous implications. Zechariah tried to interpret; Mary accepted the miraculous straightaway. Is God trying to tell you something that it's difficult to fit into your understanding of the world, your church, your family, your own life situation? Are you willing to accept the miraculous option?
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