Luke 1:28-38
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Before going into the details of verses 28-38, covering the meeting between Gabriel and Mary, it is a good idea to take a brief look at the whole.

Note the following items:
a. The angel’s polite and tactful greeting (verse 28).
b. Mary’s fear and confusion (verse 29).
c. The angel’s encouragement. His promise Mary will conceive and give birth to a very special child (verses 30-33).
d. Mary’s appeal for an explanation, since she is not living with a husband and does not understand how, she can conceive a child (verse 34).
e. The angel’s reassuring reply (verses 35-37).
f. Mary’s brave self-surrender, after which the angel leaves (verse 38).

Notice how perfectly Mary’s preliminary reactions, items (b) and (d), are placed in between the angel’s words of encouragement and clarification!

Gabriel’s heart is in his work. He is doing what God had told him to do. He is only saying what God had ordered him to say.

The story shows the love of God and His concern for the well-being of His children.

The climax is Mary’s expression of unqualified submission to God’s will.

Unless this bird’s-eye view is taken first of all, and kept in mind throughout, one is likely to get sidetracked with the trees and ignore the forest.