Luke 1:26-38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He 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. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “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 holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

            Mary’s story is perhaps one of the most astonishing in the bible.  There are many stories of people who said yes to God, but not like this.  Many were called to move from one place to another for God’s purposes.  David was called to slay Goliath – and received accolades for that act.  But Mary could face shunning from her family and village, or even death by stoning.  Yet Mary said “yes”.

            Has God asked something of you?  Did the request mean a significant change in your life?  If so, how did you respond?  What about those little things God asks of us daily, such as helping those in need, caring for the poor, sheltering the homeless and many other things?

            In this season of giving, let us all consider the words of Mary and see if we can respond the same way.  “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Peace,

Pastor Bill