As we lit our advent candle today, our prayer included a rather special and important lady! Of course, today is Mary’s day! Sadly, this year the fourth week of advent has been cut very short so I think we had better spend a bit of time now, really focussing on such an important lady and the events that are pivotal to our faith.

In the gospel reading we’ve just heard, was the wonderful story of the annunciation, the angel coming to a young girl with a message that must have come as quite a surprise, well a shock really. But if we can just imagine for a moment the scene – this exchange between a lady, or girl, probably doing simple jobs at home in Galilee, when suddenly an ethereal, heavenly, shining angel appears out of nowhere, glowing, wings flapping, then suddenly they start to speak…

We heard that Mary was much perplexed – other translations use words like confused, disturbed, greatly troubled, thoroughly shaken – whichever translation we use, we’re left in no doubt that this came out of the blue, a complete shock, Mary was not expecting it. But Mary stayed, and asked herself what sort of greeting this might be! Would we have been quite so calm in that situation?   

We don’t know how old she was, but tradition has it that she was just a teenager. At that time girls were betrothed quite young and were expected to be seen, but not heard in what was a highly patriarchal society. It’s believed she’d grown up in a religious home, and would have known God. We know she was preparing to enter a new phase of life, with marriage arranged to a local carpenter, Joseph – the engagement had been agreed to and the period of betrothal had begun.

Now, suddenly, catastrophe – Mary was pregnant, an unwed mother to be, and through no fault of her own! In those days being pregnant and unmarried would have carried stigma and could even have led to the penalty of her being killed. We know that this is the beginning of a story of pain and humiliation that will lead to her son being condemned to death as a common criminal, having lived a life on the margins – thank goodness Mary is unaware of all that is to come.

When the angel appeared, Mary was told not to be afraid and that she had found favour with God, this must have been enormously meaningful to her as she already had that strong relationship, and probably trusted God implicitly, the reason, perhaps, that she stayed and continued to listen as she is told the full expectation, not just of her to carry this child, but of what is to become of the child – that he will be great, will be called the son of the most high, that he will inherit the throne of his ancestor David and rule over the house of Jacob for ever and his kingdom will never end. How terribly overwhelming!

 Mary asks the angel how this could be since she was a virgin, did she ask this with utter amazement? Or possibly with a little alarm knowing the laws of the country and what this might lead to, also maybe, partly in protest at all that was being asked, but the angel answered her fully and she accepted what she was told.

This appears to paint a picture of a young woman that took everything in her stride, as we know she pondered much in her heart, so strong must her faith and trust in God have been that she simply trusted. A strong and resolute young woman, chosen because she was up to the task, not the Mary of myth, often portrayed as meek and timid. She asked for clarification from the angel, before stating that she was the servant of the Lord and would do what had been asked.

How does our faith compare? We might not have had a visit from an angel, but we have that constant inner call, do we stop and listen and tune in to God? Our call won’t be the same as Mary’s, God wills different things for each of us – however, we get to answer his call every day in our ordinary lives. In our respect for others, in our kindness, in our generosity and giving of ourselves, our time and talents, in our forgiveness, in our family responsibilities, in our fearless, unrelenting witness to Christ’s love. We are here to serve God just as much as Mary was over 2000 years ago.

God knows the obstacles we must overcome, the sea of secular cynicism that surrounds us, he knows we don’t walk an easy path, but today we can take on board the wisdom of Mary to strengthen and uphold us.

This gospel teaches us that God’s gifts don’t come in neat little packages. Sometimes, they are a pure joy, but often they come as trials – opportunities wrapped in turmoil. They can be confusing and overwhelming, and I’m testament to that – my call to ministry was long and complex, full of confusion, but I stand here as witness to God’s guidance and love and my own trust in that.

When blessings come disguised as challenges… when the call to love is shrouded in difficulty and distorted by doubts… may we all share the serenity of Mary, may we each embrace her willingness to serve and may we join in her song: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. Amen

Service: Reverend Rebecca Yates – 24th December 2023

Referenced Scripture: Luke 1:46b-55 • Romans 16:25-27  • Luke 1:26-38