The Spirit and the Promised Child
Month 5: Jesus — God With Us · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 1:30–35
30 So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” 34 “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Memory Verse
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”— John 1:14 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Samuel 10–12; 1 Chronicles 20
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 125 of 365 — David's sin and God's mercy after Nathan's rebuke.)The Heart of It
When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, she asked the natural question. "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (). The answer reveals the Holy Spirit at work. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God" (). The birth of Jesus was not an ordinary birth. Think of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters in Genesis. Think of the Spirit who would later fall on the Church at Pentecost. That same Spirit brought about the miracle of God becoming man inside a young woman's womb.
This is the first place we meet the Holy Spirit in Jesus' earthly story. And it tells us something we'll see again and again. Wherever God does the impossible, the Spirit is there. Mary couldn't make this happen by trying harder. And neither can we. Notice her response. "May it happen to me according to your word" (). She simply made herself available, and the Spirit did the work. That's the rhythm of the Spirit-filled life for your family, too. We don't manufacture God's power. We yield to it. The Spirit who formed Jesus in Mary is the same Spirit who forms Christ's character in us when we say, "Have Your way."
Around the Table
The Holy Spirit did a miracle so baby Jesus could be born. The Spirit can do things we never could!
Let's do it: Whisper "Holy Spirit, You are amazing!" and clap three times for the miracle.
Mary couldn't make a miracle happen. The Holy Spirit did. Her job was just to trust God and say yes.
Let's talk: What's something only God could do that you've prayed about?
The virgin birth shows Jesus is truly the Son of God, conceived by the Spirit's power. And the same Spirit empowers believers today.
Let's go deeper: Mary said, "May it happen to me according to your word." Where do you need to stop striving and simply yield to the Spirit?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the biggest "yes" you've ever had to say to something scary but good? Maybe a new school, a big move, or learning to swim.— Mary said yes to the biggest, most wonderful thing of all.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
People say a virgin birth is scientifically impossible. And they're right that it can't happen naturally. That's the whole point. It was a miracle, done by the Spirit's power (). A God big enough to create life is certainly big enough to begin one in a new way when He chooses.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Luke draws a deliberate line. The Spirit who "came upon" Mary () is the same Spirit Jesus promised would "come upon" the disciples for power (). Robert Menzies highlights how Luke presents the Spirit primarily as the source of God's mighty, mission-shaping work, from the manger to Pentecost and into the Church today. For you as a father, the takeaway is freeing. The supernatural life isn't reserved for spiritual giants. It's for the available. Mary's greatness was not her strength but her surrender. Don't lead your family by white-knuckled effort to be a good Christian dad. Lead by daily yielding: "Spirit, have Your way in this home." Character and power both grow in surrendered soil.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for the miracle of Jesus' birth by Your Holy Spirit. Teach our family to yield like Mary. Help us say yes to You and trust You to do what we cannot. Have Your way in us. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Spirit does what I cannot. My job is simply to say, "Have Your way."