What a joy it was to hear the story of Mary this morning. Of Mary, and Elizabeth, of surprising announcements and shared joy.
To our detriment, Lutherans, or really Protestants in general, don’t spend too much time thinking about Mary. We hear about, and tend to misunderstand, the way Mary the mother of our Lord is lifted up by our Roman Catholic siblings. In our confusion, and in our fear of making an idol of Mary, we swing to the opposite end of the spectrum and spend hardly any time thinking about her.
But there is something special about Mary. It is worth our time to read about her and learn from her, but the reason why might not be what you expect. Mary is worth a closer look from us not because she is exceptionally holy, but because she is so very ordinary. We spend time with Mary not because the circumstances surrounding her are miraculous, but because of her trust in God. Mary is special not only because of her role in the Christmas story, but also because she is an example for us of what it means to bear Christ into the world in all seasons.
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| Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash |
We don’t know much about Mary. It is very likely she was a young girl, perhaps as young as thirteen. She was engaged to be married to Joseph. And, as the story goes, in the midst of an ordinary day she was visited by an angel – a messenger of God. Gabriel says to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” The Gospel writer tells us that Mary was much perplexed and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Favored one? What have I ever done to be considered favored? Who am I that the Lord would choose me? I imagine that Mary was in awe, and maybe a little afraid, and, perhaps, just a little suspicious…Doesn’t this sound like the sort of greeting that comes before a BIG request?
The angel said to her, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
That’s a lot to take in! It’s a surprising request, and seems impossible for any number of reasons. Mary points out what seems to be the biggest obstacle – she has never been with a man! How could she be pregnant? And besides that, this is royalty the angel is talking about. Kings aren’t born in this way!
But then the angel goes on. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” A royal baby, a divine baby, a baby who is the Son of God.
Mary – young, ordinary, blessed Mary – is called by God to be the bearer of Christ. Her response to God’s call is powerful to hear – “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” This is what we celebrate when we celebrate Mary – that she said yes to God when the stakes were so high for her, that she trusted God’s word in the face of the impossible.
Mary is called blessed and favored not because she is the physical mother of God’s Son, but because God declared her to be blessed and favored. God sought her out, and Mary believed that God keeps God’s promises, Mary believed that God is trustworthy. In the words of Mary’s relative Elizabeth just a few verses later, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Mary believed that God’s word would be fulfilled, no matter how impossible it all seemed.
The angel Gabriel’s words were for Mary, but they are also for us: Do not be afraid! Along with Mary, we, too, are called by God to bear Christ. In the waters of baptism, each of us has been called to bear God’s creative and redeeming word to all the world. We are named and claimed as Children of God, called favored and blessed by God. We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. We are sealed with God’s promise that in these waters, and through God’s word, we too will experience salvation, forgiveness, and new life.
Along with Mary, we are called to trust in God’s word and trust in God’s promises, for us and for the world. We cannot be too young or too old, too ordinary or too broken, too lost or too busy to bear Christ into the world. For nothing will be impossible with God.
I wonder what seems impossible in your life? Does it seem impossible that God might find favor with you? Does it seem impossible that God is still with you in the midst of your anger, sadness, despair, or brokenness? Does it seem impossible that reconciliation could come in the midst of division? Does it seem impossible that joy could come in the midst of grief? The angel Gabriel’s words are for you, too: Nothing is impossible with God.
You – you who God has sought out, you who are called blessed, you who have found favor with God - How might God be calling you to bear Christ into the world? How might God use your gifts, your openness to God’s word? For the gift and example of Mary, and for the ways God continues to call us to lives of service and faithfulness, we give thanks.
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