Advent Reflection 1 - Mary's yes

1. Read Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! 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 favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

2.Consider  

Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s announcement is quite extraordinary.  We have got used to it because we have read it and have heard it spoken from pulpits and in nativity plays, so many times, over so many years.

Hear, again, the angel’s familiar words,

“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33

Take a moment to put yourself in her shoes - not to imagine yourself as Mary, but as you, receiving an angelic visitation, and hearing this surreal pronouncement.  What would your reaction be? What on earth would you say?

Let's be honest, here...if we are able to speak at all, we might respond with, ‘What me? You must be kidding? Surely you don’t mean me?’ or perhaps, ‘is this for real? Am i dreaming? Going mad? Tell me this isn’t true…’ or ‘NO, no, no.  I didn’t sign up for this. Go and visit someone else’.

Mary’s extraordinary response does not question the content of the declaration, nor does she query what will be required of her.  Her reaction is stunningly revelatory in its sweet naivety. “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”.  Such words emerge from a deep well of simple trust and faith. Jesus once said, ‘"or the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Luke 6:45.

You and I may never be visited by an angel relaying such a message, but there are plenty of opportunities for us to examine our responses to the words God speaks in any given situation that we might find ourselves in.  

Because, you see, today He is also saying to us, as He would no doubt later also say to Mary, “forgive, always forgive, no matter how deep the wound, keep following me, even when you don’t understand, take up your cross daily, and bear the weight of being misunderstood, and wrongly accused.”

Mary’s unswerving commitment to the God she knew and loved, took her to places she had never before imagined - shunned by her community, doubted by her betrothed, bewildered by her swollen belly. But in saying yes, she made it possible for all of humanity to encounter Emmanuel, God with us.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

How much do I really trust God, and how far will I go for Him, now, today, with the opportunities that He gives me to say ‘YES’, and I wonder what my YES might give birth to?

3 Reflect

• Have you had an opportunity to say YES to God recently?
• Were you able to? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Think of the reasons that get in the way of you saying YES.
• What might make it easier to say YES next time?
• Consider what changes/actions you may need to take to move towards more YESES!