On the way to this Sunday’s sermon, I’ve been
reading the story of the “annunciation” or when the angle Gabriel told this teenager, getting ready to be married, that she would give birth to Jesus. (It's found, by the way, in the first chapter of the gospel of Luke.)
Here are a few notes along the way…
It seems to me that the key phrase is Mary’s line, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Which could
also be paraphrased (as it has been by Eugene Peterson), “Let it be with
me
just as you say.” In other words, God, yes to whatever You have for me. What amazes me is that this teenager—commentators talk about a
15 or 16 year old—has maturity beyond her years. (Speaking of commentators, in his well-worn
Bible, William Barclay commented that our prayer is often “Thy will be changed”
instead of “Thy will be done.")
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| Joan Bohlig, The Annunciation (at Bidwell Pres in March) |
In the piece by Joan Bohlig that depicts Mary's hearing the angel Gabriel, I like the
figure of Mary pointing to herself. Something like “Me, are you sure?” I also note the way the
entire cosmos is curved with the angle, as if the cosmos is part of this decision
for Mary.
So here’s the question for us: What happens
when God interrupts our plans and has something new for us? Does God’s yes meet
our yes?
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