Lenten Journey, March 25, 2010

Lord, come to us: free us from the stain of our sins. Help us to remain faithful to a holy way of life, and guide us to the inheritance you have promised. Amen

Luke 1:26-38The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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 called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Today we hear the wondrous proclamation of the fullness of God’s saving will. Mary responds with a slightly puzzled but generous commitment to give her whole being so that God’s plan may be carried out. Mary, a seemingly ordinary Jewish woman doesn’t ask for a sign so much as she asks about the ordinary laws of nature: “how can this be” that she will become pregnant since she is not having a sexual relationship? She trusts God that this child will serve as an incarnated expression of his love for mankind.
While Mary did not ask for a sign, she did “see” the angel. We understand that God’s message does not always come with angelic appearances. But maybe our imagination of angels and prophets is a bit narrow. We need to be ready to “hear” his call. To do so may require us to study the scriptures and be both more attentive and humble. As we heard in last Sunday’s message, we may have an “angel” who we see as a colleague, friend, or pastor. Or, God may speak to us through a prophetic voice that just happens to be from the person we like least, or don’t want to hear from. Doing daily scripture study, listening with an open heart, and being “with the Lord” on a daily basis, how could we not respond like Mary and Isaiah – and say “Here I am Lord, I have come to do your will.”
Lord, all we want is to be faithful to you in our lives, but so often we fail. Free us from our many sins and guide us to lives we will share with you. We wait for your promise to be fulfilled with great hope in our hearts and your praise on our lips. Amen