"Thou shalt call his name Jesus , for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1: 21). He is the Christ of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New, born of the substance of the Virgin Mary His mother, very God and very Man, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. So we pray in the Collect, "As we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion may we be brought to the glory of his resurrection." It is worth noting that they who deny the Virgin Birth are the same who deny the Resurrection of the Son of God . You see how complete the Collect for today is. Dr. W. Gilbert Wilson, Dean of Connor, Ireland, in his book. The Faith of An Anglican, says "The Catechism declaration that ' God the Son became man' is more fully expressed in the words of the Apostles' Creed that 'he was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ' - a statement intended to express the belief that Jesus was born of a virgin without the intervention of a human father." Critics of this doctrine often point to the paucity of Biblical references to support it. But although the Virgin Birth is alluded to only by St . Luke (1:34ft) and Matthew (1:18-25), St . Luke explicitly claims to have traced "all things accurately from the first" so that his reader "might know the truth." (Luke l:3ff) Dr. Plummer declares that in spite of the severest scrutiny St . Luke's accuracy can very rarely be impugned. It is generally agreed among scholars that Luke must have received the facts which he records in the infancy narratives from Mary herself. Notice as you read the Holy Gospel for the Annunciation that St . Luke gives every detail. The name of the angel is given - Gabriel. God sent His angel to a maiden - the name of the maiden is given - Mary - espoused to Joseph, of the tribe of Judah. The name of the place is given. Every little particular about the Incarnation of the Son of God is given. Dr. J. Patterson - Smyth in his People's Life of Christ says, "The Church did not believe the Virgin Birth because it was put into these Gospels, but it was put into these Gospels because the Church believed it." St . Matthew and St . Luke (in this) have the whole Church behind them. Conclusion. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." As she bowed her head and heard that message Mary became the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Incarnation was accomplished. 39