26 In 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, favoured 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 favour 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 for ever, 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.
Mary’s story, like all of our stories, is about God. For it is God who initiates, challenges, and provides. He has deigned to use human beings with all of our inadequacies to do His work on earth.
The passage we’re considering describes a once-in-an-eternity event. A humble young woman is given an incredible calling. It will include awesome responsibility, puzzling uncertainties, devastating heartache, and, ultimately, wonderful joy.
She turns on its head the maxim that “she who rocks the cradle rules the world.” In her case, she rocks the cradle of Him who created the world. While we can’t identify with that, there are several things in the story with which we can identify.
God made the call to do the impossible to the improbable. It came literally “out of the blue,” unexpected and impractical. Mary, in humility, wonders about the salutation “. . . highly favored . . .” In consternation, she cites the obvious: virgins can’t produce babies. She receives a satisfactory the answer: it will involve a miracle. Nor should the virgin birth be a problem to a believer. The world is full of miracles. How can a giant oak come from a tiny acorn? How does gravity work? How can the universe be measured? The creator of the universe is not bound by what human experience expects. And he calls apparently ordinary people like Mary and like us to do the impossible.
How is this privilege and burden to be borne? How is one to cope with the difficulties and inconveniences? The answers were given to Mary. “The Lord is with you,” and “. . . nothing is impossible with God.” Mary’s was the response sought by God, “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Contributed by Kent Davis