We continue in our Christmas series, A Thrill of Hope, and take a look at Luke 1:26-56 and explore Mary's encounter with the angel Gabriel, who tells her that she will bear the Messiah. 
In the passage we see that (1) Mary was genuine and mature (vs 26-37); (2) Mary was humble (vs 38-55); (3) Mary was able to see God at work in the "normal" (vs 41-45);
(4) Mary was biblical (vs 46-55); and (5) Mary was bold (vs 56).
Spiritual fruit must be held in tension with the if/then covenant nature of God.