Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38 (MSG)
Read this again a little differently. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Now read the story again. Read it and imagine what it felt like to be Mary. What would your reaction be to an angel’s greeting? What would you say to the angel telling you such a crazy thing?
I have heard this story every advent for all of my life. So many times that I don’t take time to really consider what it is about. I know the whole story. I’ve seen how the story ends. If I am honest, I kind of skim the stories that I think I know rather than truly read them. I don’t spend time thinking about how amazing the story is. To put myself in Mary’s place and consider how it felt to be asked to do something as incredible as give birth to the Son of God. To be asked to parent the Son of God and confidently accept that responsibility. It is impossible for me to know what that must have been like for her, but fascinating to imagine. It changes my perspective and humbles me to read these verses as if it is the first time.
While we are preparing for Christmas it is easy to be distracted by all the things we want to do. We know the Christmas story. We have heard it all many times. We wait for the moment on Christmas Eve when “O Holy Night” gives us chills to really feel Christmas. But what would Christmas feel like if we took a little time, some deep breaths and read the story as if we’d never heard it before.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you remember the first time you heard Mary’s story?
- Has your perspective of Mary changed since you first heard it?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, open my heart to hearing the story of Mary in a new way this Christmas. Help me to be more trusting of You, like Mary was. Help me to be willing to do whatever You are calling me to do, like Mary was. Give me the courage to say “I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” Amen
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