Gabriel and Maria

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
surprising her by calling out her name:
‘Fear not,’ he said, ‘for God has seen and favours you,
You’re chosen for a blessing, Maria.

‘You will become a mother, Mary,
by Holy Spirit, with a child holy;
he is the one earth’s waiting for – the child of God,
O chosen for a blessing, Maria.’

‘But Gabriel how can this be, my friend?’
‘With God no thing’s impossible,’ he said.
‘Then let it be as you have said, I sing God’s praise.’
O, chosen for a blessing: Maria.

And so in Bethlehem she bore her boy
beneath a star as angels sang for joy:
Immanuel, our God with us, through Mary.
O chosen for a blessing, Maria.

words (c) Sarah Agnew 2019
music ‘Gabriel’s song’ Basque tune