Coming as I do from a free church background, it seemed rather odd to me at first to hear words concerning the birth of Jesus read in late March. But it shouldn’t have done, for it we celebrate the birth of Christ on 25 December, it makes sense to celebrate the announcement that she was to be with child nine months before. The so-called Feast of the Annunciation has long been celebrated in the Catholic Church, and it features similarly in the Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox liturgy. It reminds us both of the challenge Mary faced and of her willingness to accept whatever God asked of her. The following meditation, taken from my 2000 book No Ordinary Man (book 2), explores further what that meant for her, and what it has to say to us today.
Reading
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, favoured 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 favour 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 for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ Luke 1:26-34
The meditation of Mary, mother of Jesus
‘You’ve got it wrong,’ I told him.
‘You can’t mean me,
no way!
Someone else perhaps,
more worthy,
more important,
but not me!’
Honestly, what did I have to commend me?
No connections or special qualities,
nothing –
just an ordinary girl from Nazareth,
so what could God see in me?
But it was academic anyway, for I wasn’t even married yet,
and there was no way I’d sleep with Joseph until I was.
So I came out with it straight,
‘Sorry, but you’re wrong!’
Only he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Just stood there smiling,
unruffled;
and before I knew it he was off again –
the message even more fantastic than before:
God’s power overshadowing me,
a child born of the Holy Spirit,
the Son of God!
It was way over the top,
and I should have turned him out there and then,
but I was flummoxed,
too amazed to reply.
Even when I found my tongue it wasn’t much use to me –
my mind so befuddled with questions
that I ended up saying, of all things,
‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord,
let it be with me according to your word.’
Oh, it sounded good, granted –
the epitome of humility –
but if you only knew what I was thinking,
you’d have a different picture then.
So what got into me, you ask?
How could I be so meek and accepting?
Well, what choice did I have, let’s be honest,
for as the angel said, ‘With God, nothing will be impossible.’
How could I argue with that?
There was no way out, was there?
But it’s one thing to accept that in principle,
another when it turns your life upside down.
Do I believe it?
Well, I didn’t at the time,
but I do now,
for I’ve just discovered I’m pregnant,
and I say this perfectly reverently, God knows how!
It’s astonishing and terrifying,
exciting yet mystifying,
my mind in turmoil, not quite sure what to think any more.
But one thing is plain now,
beyond all question –
with God, quite clearly, nothing is impossible!
Prayer
Gracious God,
you may not ask of us what you asked of Mary,
but nonetheless your challenge invariably comes,
calling us to avenues of service
which we would never imagine possible.
Whoever we are, we all have a part to play in your purposes,
a unique role in making real the love of Christ
here on earth, here and now.
Help us never to underestimate your sovereign power.
Grant us the humility we need to hear your voice
and the faith we need to respond.
Like Mary, let us be ready to answer when you call:
‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.’
All this we ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.