The angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. He testified that “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). Mary’s faithful response can help you learn how to respond to the Lord’s will with greater trust in Him.
Inviting students to act. Students learn as they actively participate in the learning process and live the gospel. As you teach, find ways for students to participate in the learning experience. As they act in faith, students will become more converted to the Savior and His gospel.
Student preparation: Invite students to ponder the following question:
What do you know about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that helps you put your trust in Them?
Possible Learning Activities
Invite students to respond to the following question. Consider inviting students to write their responses on the board.
Who would you say are the most influential women in your life?
Show a picture of Mary, such as the one found at the beginning of the lesson.
In this lesson, you will learn more about Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
Why do you think Mary should be considered one of the most influential women in the history of the world?
Mary’s life and mission were prophesied about many years before her birth. Study the following prophecies about Mary, looking for what they teach you about her.
What did you learn about Mary from these scriptures?
Introduction to the Gospel of Luke
The account of Mary learning that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ is recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
Introduce students to the Gospel of Luke. One way to do this is by summarizing the following paragraph.
It may also be helpful to share some of the information in the “Commentary and Background Information” section under the heading “Why study the Gospel of Luke?”
Luke was a physician (see Colossians 4:14) and “a messenger of Jesus Christ” (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 1:1 [in Luke 1:1, footnote a]). Many events from the life of the Savior are found only in the Gospel of Luke, including the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God. This event is known as the Annunciation.
As you study this account and the faithful example of Mary, pay attention to what you learn and the spiritual promptings you receive.
The angel Gabriel appears to Mary
Read Luke 1:26–37, looking for details surrounding the angel’s announcement to Mary.
You may also want to watch the video “An Angel Foretells Christ’s Birth to Mary” (4:07), located on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, as you follow along in your scriptures.
Which details from the announcement stood out to you?
What questions do you have about what you read?
One truth you may have noticed from this account is that with God nothing shall be impossible. President Russell M. Nelson shared one of the ways this truth applies to you:
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President Russell M. Nelson
You will be asked to accept challenging assignments and become an instrument in the Lord’s hands. And He will enable you to accomplish the impossible.
(Russell M. Nelson, “Becoming True Millennials” [worldwide devotional for young adults, Jan. 10, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Consider writing on the board students’ answers to the first of the following questions. If necessary, help them think of many different ways to answer this question, including overcoming bad habits or sins, being kind, sharing the gospel with others, fulfilling Church responsibilities, serving a mission, and other ways.
What might the Lord ask you to do that could seem impossible?
Why might these things sometimes feel impossible to accomplish?
Sometimes when we face tasks that feel impossible to accomplish, it can be helpful to look to the examples of others who have responded faithfully to their own difficult circumstances. Read Luke 1:38, and look for how Mary responded after learning that she would be the mother of Jesus.
What does Mary’s response help you understand about her?
What truths do you think would help a person to trust the Lord like Mary did, even when something the Lord asks may seem impossible?
If students would benefit from studying additional examples of people who responded in faith to their seemingly impossible circumstances, consider giving time for students to find such an example in the scriptures. It might be helpful to direct them to accounts such as Nephi getting the brass plates (see 1 Nephi 3–4), Moses parting the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:10–31), or another account in the scriptures.
Display or provide students with a copy of the next portion of President Nelson’s statement.
Think about something the Lord has asked you to do that may feel impossible. As you read more from President Nelson’s statement, look for specific things you can do to help you accomplish the impossible:
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President Russell M. Nelson
How will you accomplish the impossible? By doing whatever it takes to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by increasing your understanding of the doctrine taught in His restored Church and by relentlessly seeking truth. … When you are asked to do impossible things, you will be able to step forward with faith and dogged persistence and cheerfully do all that lies in your power to fulfill the purposes of the Lord.
You will have days when you will be thoroughly discouraged. So, pray for courage not to give up!
(Russell M. Nelson, “Becoming True Millennials” [worldwide devotional for young adults, Jan. 10, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Invite the students to record their answers to the following questions in their study journals. Keep President Nelson’s quote displayed as they write so they can refer to it. After they have had sufficient time to write, invite a few volunteers to share their answers with the class.
What is one action from President Nelson’s statement that you would like to be better at?
How do you think improving in this area could help you to accomplish what seems impossible in your life?
Commentary and Background Information
Why study the Gospel of Luke?
Some of the most well-known stories of Christendom are unique to the Gospel of Luke: the circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist (see Luke 1:5–25, 57–80); the traditional Christmas narrative (see Luke 2:1–20); the story of Jesus as a 12-year-old boy in the temple (see Luke 2:41–52); parables such as the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:30–37), the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11–32), and the rich man and Lazarus (see Luke 16:19–31); the story of the ten lepers (see Luke 17:11–19); and the account of the resurrected Lord walking beside His disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13–32).
Other unique features are Luke’s inclusion of teachings of John the Baptist not found in the other Gospels (see Luke 3:10–14); his emphasis on the prayerfulness of Jesus Christ (see Luke 3:21; 5:16; 9:18, 28–29; 11:1); and his inclusion of the calling, training, and missionary labors of the Seventy (see Luke 10:1–22). Moreover, Luke is the only Gospel writer to record that the Savior shed His blood in Gethsemane and that an angel ministered to Him (see Luke 22:43–44).
The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught about the identity of the angel Gabriel:
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the Prophet Joseph Smith
Noah … is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the dominion.
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 104)
Luke 1:27. What does it mean that Mary was “espoused to … Joseph”?
In ancient Israel, once the marriage was agreed upon, a wedding consisted of two stages: betrothal (also called espousal; see Matthew 1:18) and a wedding ceremony. Though betrothed couples were legally regarded as husband and wife (see Deuteronomy 22:23–24), between the time of betrothal and the wedding ceremony, a strict code of chastity was enforced (see Matthew 1:18–25; see also New Testament Student Manual [2014], 13).
Luke 1:30–35. What do we know about Mary’s miraculous pregnancy?
When Mary asked how she could become the mother of Jesus, “seeing I know not a man” (Luke 1:34), Gabriel simply informed her that she would be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and that her child would be the Son of God (see Luke 1:35). Other scriptures that refer to the conception of Jesus Christ likewise emphasize that He is the Son of God but do not reveal how this miracle took place (see Matthew 1:18–20; 1 Nephi 11:14–15, 18–21; Alma 7:10).
Supplemental Learning Activities
Luke 1:5–25. God’s blessings come in His own time and in His own way
Ask the students to think about a blessing or an answer from God that they are waiting or hoping for.
Invite the students to study the account of Zacharias and Elisabeth in Luke 1:5–25, looking for lessons they can learn about the Lord’s timing.
After the students have studied these verses, invite them to share what they learned. Consider using questions such as the following to enhance the discussion:
What do you think Zacharias and Elisabeth learned about the Lord through their experience described in these verses?
What do you learn from this account about what you can do as you wait for a blessing or an answer from God?
What other examples of trusting in the Lord’s will and timing can you think of from your own life or from accounts in the scriptures?
Have there been times in your life when the Lord answered a prayer but not in the way or timing that you expected?
A modern-day example of God helping someone accomplish the impossible
To help students see a modern-day illustration that nothing is impossible with God, consider showing the video “Sweet Power of Prayer” (time code 4:14 to 8:38), located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. In this video President Russell M. Nelson recounts an experience when God revealed how to repair a patient’s heart during surgery.