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How does the Gospel of Luke describe the Annunciation to Mary?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

In the Gospel According to Luke (1:26–38), the Annunciation is described as the moment the angel Gabriel is sent by God to Nazareth to visit Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph.12

Gabriel greets Mary as "favored one" and announces that she will conceive and bear a son named Jesus, who will be called the Son of the Most High and reign over the house of Jacob forever. Initially perplexed, Mary asks how this is possible since she is a virgin. The angel explains that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her, ensuring the child is holy.1

To reassure her, Gabriel notes that her relative Elizabeth has also conceived in her old age, affirming that "nothing will be impossible with God". The narrative concludes with Mary’s willing consent: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word," an act that precipitates the Incarnation.134