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| Image by Michael Matti |
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A GREETING
You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy.
(Psalm 16:11)
A 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?’ The 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. And 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then 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.
(Luke 1:26-38)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
"What does this mean?"
(Acts 2:12)
A POEM
To bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power–
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light...
This was the moment no one speaks of,
when she could still refuse.
A breath unbreathed,
Spirit,
suspended,
waiting.
- from "Annunciation" by Denise Levertov
VERSE OF THE DAY
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
(Psalm 126:5)
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| "The Annunciation" by Mary Alexandra Bell Eastlake |
The story of the conception of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke creates an almost cinematic introduction to Mary, the mother of Jesus. We begin in a kind of wide shot, looking down first on the Galilee, then on Nazareth and then on the place where Mary is. We are in the angel point of view, as the heavenly messenger swoops down from a heavenly realm to visit someone who has been chosen. Then, almost immediately, we change point of view and become vividly inside Mary's experience. The account appears only in Luke, who also has the most sophisticated Greek of the gospel writers, resulting in a variety of words to describe Mary's emotion. How does Mary go from distress and uncertainty to magnifying God with her soul — in one longish paragraph? One way of understanding this might be in looking at some of those Lukan words. The writer has used a word for ‘perplexed’ that only appears here in all of the New Testament. It derives from a root verb that means ‘to take away calm’. The word is significant in carrying out meaning that is both internal experience and external behaviour. It means ‘agitated’ and ‘troubled’, and it also means outwardly trembling and quivering. Another lesser-used meaning of the root verb is ‘to stir up’, which recalls the ‘stirring’ of ‘living water’. It is possible therefore to imagine that the moment of hearing the news from Gabriel is the actual moment of conception. At the same time, Mary’s response is a profoundly human one. Her fear and uncertainty and outward trembling can be explained simply by being in this extraordinary situation. She is also young, likely between twelve and fourteen. In the painting above by Mary Alexandra Bell Eastlake, the youth of Mary is emphasized. The unusual red cape carries the sense of divine energy that is in the red of the angel’s wings. The nature surrounding her seems to shimmer with that energy. The prayer of Mary that we call the Magnificat expresses her capacity to transform her agitation into joy, simply by being able to fully experience the presence of God, and willingly respond to God’s call. We think of the Annunciation as the message from Gabriel to Mary, but Mary herself becomes an embodied annunciation of Jesus to the world. The stirring of her body is met with the stirring of God coming to life within her. She is alive and vibrant with the creativity of God. Rather than see her as meek and submissive, her action of saying ‘yes’ to God is a faithful leap of imagination, commitment and courage. How does she inspire us today? How can the stirring, vibrant, powerful response of Mary guide us in the next twelve days into the deep heart of Advent?
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| Image by Kim Seng |
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LC† Longing for Renewal is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Join us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!
