Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, 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.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel said to her, “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. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
I like to refer to John the Baptist as a “seasonal employee of the church” because he only shows up on church radars around this time of year; but he’s not the only one. The same can be said of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She’s not a figure that figures much in the lives of the typical non-Catholic Christians. Mary only makes a liturgical appearance at Jesus’ birth and at his crucifixion. But there is so much more to be said about the mother of Jesus beyond that she was there at the beginning and end of Jesus’ earthly life.
In fact, Trinity Lutheran Seminary professor Mark Allen Powell says that Mary is “the model for Christian discipleship, the person who all people, men and women alike should emulate, especially if they wish to follow her son.”
Mary is selected by God for an important task of literally and figuratively bearing the good news to the world. She is picked because God has found favor in her...but we are not told why. She was not wealthy or famous, so those could not have been the reasons God picked her. There’s nothing to indicate her favor with God was due to her attractiveness, work ethic, intelligence, artistic skill, or her ability to work a room and charm the socks off everyone. Whatever standard we think makes for a successful person today is not attributed to Mary. So, apparently those are not the attributes God looks for in a disciple. All we know is that Mary believed God’s word and said “yes” to God.
God is always the first impulse and the first actor. That is what we mean by grace. God makes the first move. But the powerful stuff happens when we say “yes” to God.” Notably, she is not blessed because she is going to be the physical mother of Jesus, but because she believed God's word. So, whatever blessing Mary enjoys is one we all can share, if we emulate her. We cannot all be physical parents of Jesus, but we can believe God's word will be fulfilled.”
This is a matter of profound practical importance for us today. God is constantly communicating God’s will, much like the invisible radio waves and satellite signals that saturate our atmosphere. Our invitation is to tune our spiritual devices so that we pick up on God’s signal. Blessing comes from our will being in sync with God’s will. It means tuning in and saying yes.
Mary, of course, was not the first person to tune into God’s communication channel. Scripture is full of people’s “call stories” -- those times and spaces where regular people were struck with spiritual inspiration that changed the course of their life and through which the good news was manifest on earth. Moses and Isaiah are two notable examples. And when their call stories are held up alongside Mary’s we notice a pattern that holds true for our lives today.
The pattern goes like this: There’s a greeting (1:28), a startled reaction (1:29), an exhortation not to fear (1:30), a divine commission (1:31-33), an objection (1:34), a reassuring word (1:35), and the offer of a confirming sign (1:36-37).
So how do we know when we have tuned into God’s communication channel? We will encounter God in scripture, worship, study, prayer, or mindfulness and be startled. As quickly as we are startled, we will feel a sense of calm. We will be given an idea that we feel wholly ill-equipped to tackle. God will promise that no task of faith is impossible. And once we say yes, we will find encouragement along the journey. That’s a pattern I hope you will recognize in your life. If you don’t, it is not too late to adjust the dial or change the channel.
Mary exemplifies discipleship in the way she listens and believes. This is not a way of life for the proud or powerful, the self-sufficient or the sanctimonious. As Jesus will later state, the gate is narrow and few will enter. But for those who set themselves to the work of listening to God and saying “yes” to God’s invitations, there are blessings in abundance that the whole world will enjoy.
May you, along with Mary, be bold in your yesses. And may you, along with Mary, be led to proclaim:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-56)
Amen.
