ADVENT 4

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38

Luke begins his Gospel with parallel stories of  Zechariah and Mary. Zechariah was offering incense, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a priest, and the people prayed for God to send His Messiah and establish the Kingdom on earth. Suddenly an angel appears and tells him that this prayer was heard. He and his barren wife will have a son who is part of God's saving work. Luke echoes the Jewish Bible, most importantly Malachi 3:24 and the return of Elijah to herald Messiah.

The biblical salvation stories frequently recount miraculous birth stories: Isaac, Jacob, Samson and Samuel; and the pregnancy of Elizabeth is just the beginning. Six months later the angel visits Mary, declaring that she is favored of God. She is dietarasso--very distressed and troubled--by this word and she ponders what it could mean. 

Clearly these human encounter with the divine realm are terrifying and confusing. Even holy people are overwhelmed by the experience. 

The angel tells Mary (and us) that the Holy Spirit has filled the womb with God's own son. He name is Jesus (Yeshuah--God saves). He will receive the throne of David and reign as Messiah, the king of Israel, forever. 

Unfortunately, we are so familiar with the story that our hearts are not moved and our minds are not amazed. "Yes," we (almost) yawn, "I know this." We need an angelic presence to scare us out of our complacency. We believe in Jesus the King, but too often in some vague sense disconnected from our real lives--Christmas presents, meals and other distractions.

Today let us each become Mary!

We can meditate on God's word and ponder its meaning.

We can say, "Behold your servant, O Lord. Do with me as you desire"?

In this service we shall offer our own body and soul to the Father and receive Jesus in the eucharist. Each of us, like Mary's womb, is a dwelling place of the Lord.

We live in dark and troubling times. Let our response to toxic politics be  the proclamation that Jesus is the eternal King. Let us remember in the face of pandemics and social maladies that He redeems us from all calamity and saves us from every evil. Let us live, like that poor third world virgin, as one who believes the greeting--you are highly favored by God!