An Honest Woman

Luke 1:26-38
I admire Luke’s portrayal of Mary when he writes, “But she was much perplexed by (the angel’s) words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). The conversation between Gabriel and Mary should not be passed by hurriedly. It is one of the most transforming moments in all of scripture through which the work of God unfolds. This is as much a call story as is Exodus 3, or Isaiah 6, or Jeremiah 1 and in each of those cases the men in question hem and haw with fear and trepidation. Why should Mary, called to bear God’s Son, be any different? Why should she not be perplexed? Why should she not wonder how this could be true of a virgin? Her questions are honest and straightforward. Her concern is natural. This is a real person dealing with really surprising news. By the time Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” we know that she means it.

May all of us strive for the honesty of Mary, allowing our questions to rise and our concerns to be expressed. God seeks the best that each of us can offer and honesty is high on that list. When we say, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord,” may it be with true conviction. May we know that we mean it.

Prayer: Lord, may our minds be active and our hearts alive during this season as we welcome your word into our world and accept the challenges that you give us. In the name of your Son our Lord. Amen.

When Familiarity Breeds Blindness

John 9:18-41

"Jesus said, 'I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind'" (John 9:39). Most of us are used to such sayings by now. We've read words like these from Jesus any number of times. We have heard (or preached) countless sermons on the subject. We know that Jesus has come to turn things upside down. The gospels use different terms for expressing the same phenomenon. For instance in Luke Mary offers thanks to God for feeding the hungry and sending the rich away without food (Luke 1:46-55). This is old news for us, right?

But we need to be careful. Once we get to the point where "we've heard it all before" we may have become the ones who think they see but who have actually become blind. Resisting the power of the gospel is akin to ignoring it all together. We may think we have it all figured out when in fact we keep missing the point. For example, I have eaten a lot of meals in my life, but I don't let that stop me from having lunch or dinner one more time. In fact there are are a number of dishes that I like so much that I eat them over and over again. We must treat Jesus' words–and the teachings of scripture as a whole–the same way, returning to them again and again for what they have to say to us and the nourishment they offer.

Jesus came into the world bringing a radically new perspective and a completely new understanding of God. The truth of Jesus' words has not been exhausted, nor have we managed to fully comprehend their meaning. We need to keep trying. We need to live like those who are blind to the full truth, but who are striving to see.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to hear and see you word anew each time we are encountered by it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

First Things First

Luke 1:39-56

One of the reasons that I so appreciate the gospel of Luke is its inclusiveness. People of all sorts play an important role in Luke’s story. Woman, men, children, the poor, the sick, the working class, none are considered unworthy just because of their social standing. (This attitude carries over even further in the book of Acts where Luke will include Gentiles among those who are found acceptable by God.)

Our reading from Luke for today is a good example. As soon as Mary discovers that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Luke tells us, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in (Elizabeth’s) womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’” (Luke 1:41-42). Here is the first recognition of the nature of Mary’s child and it comes to us from a pregnant woman, one in seclusion no less. Shepherds watching their flocks will be the first to worship the newborn Jesus, but the first one to give praise to God for the coming Christ child is Elizabeth. It has to be significant because Luke places what we call the Magnificat, Mary’s declaration of God’s greatness, after Elizabeth’s pronouncement. The supposedly barren wife of a priest, a man who had himself doubted the message he had received from an angel (and who was now unable to speak because of that doubt), this woman is the one God allows to perceive what is happening before anyone else and to share that news with us.

I wonder who else God has chosen to proclaim the message of hope and joy to the world. I wonder what other news God is revealing through unlikely folk. And I wonder if we are willing to listen. Or do we judge the person before dismissing what they say as not worthy of our attention? That would not be Luke’s way, and it shouldn’t be ours either. What the world needs now is a willingness to listen for God’s word no matter what accent is used to speak it.

Prayer: God of Advent, help us to hear your good news and to embrace it and those who share it with us, so that together we may live as your people in a community of faith. Amen.