Grace, mercy, and peace
to you in the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen.
My
daughter is about to turn 13. The biggest decisions in her life right now are
what clothes to wear, what kind of party she wants for her birthday, and how to
choose between church and Girl Guide events scheduled on the same day.
I
can’t even imagine what it would have been like for the teenager Mary, when
this strange being shows up and tells her she is going to be pregnant, before she
is married, before she’s had sex. And not only is she going to be pregnant, she’s
going to be carrying the Messiah, the Son of God, the Saviour of humanity.
No
pressure.
Living
in a remote village far from the busy religious centre of Jerusalem, Mary had
no hint that she was destined for such a great event. So it would be of no surprise
that her reaction to Gabriel’s visit is cautious at best. After listening to the
angel and pondering all that he has just said to her, she has only one question,
“How can this be?”
I’m
sure we must have all asked this question at one time or another in our lives. Whether
happy or sad, startling news often brings out this question, “How can this be?”
A friend dies, suddenly, “how can this be?” An expected influx of money when
someone is struggling to make ends meet, “how can this be?”
According
to Ashley Cook Creere, “Mary’s puzzlement grants permission to take time to
adjust to astonishing news, to question whether or not trials and tragedies, or
God’s magnificent promises, are for real, and to contemplate potential repercussions.”
The question, “how can this be?” shapes our faith by reminding us how much in
our lives is hidden from us and that some opportunities seem almost incredulous.
Any deep encounter with the mystery of God must leave us incredulous and
asking, “How can this be?” As I mentioned last week, beware of any messengers
that don’t allow you to question what you’ve been told.
I
wonder how long Mary made Gabrel wait for an answer. The passage is only a few lines,
so it feels like it’s a quick answer. But I think that after asking “how can
this be?” and then listening to Gabriel’s response, she would have taken a
little while to answer, not just jumped to the “yes”. This isn’t some small decision
she’s about to make. And it’s not one that would affect her life only. The whole
world’s about the change and she’s the crux of the whole thing! It wouldn’t surprise
me if she took a while to answer.
Despite
Mary being one of the strongest women in the Bible, we often talk about her
only at Christmas time, complete with images of her with the baby Jesus, cutesy
pictures depicting a blond-haired blue-eyed mother and baby and smug sermons
about peace and hope and love. I believe that we are so familiar with this
story that we sometimes fail to consider the many difficult implications of
Mary’s situation as an unwed teenager. She was among the most powerless: young
in a setting that valued age, female, and poor. The stakes were indeed very
high for Mary. One wrong move could ruin her personal and family reputation and
jeopardize her entire life.
And
yet, despite all of this, Mary responds to Gabriel with such graceful humility,
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Mary’s
response, “Let it be” has inspired many artists, perhaps most famously the
title track of the Beatles’ 12th and final studio album: Let It Be. From
the perspective of Advent, I invite you to listen to the Beatles’ “Let it Be”.
If you’ve listened to the song before, pretend it’s your first time. Listen
with the words of Mary echoing in your ear. Listen with an openness to how God
may be calling you to slow down, open your eyes in wonder, and expectantly wait
for what is already in the process of being born.
When
we open ourselves to God, when we echo Mary’s prayer, “Let it be,” we may find
ourselves turned upside down and our prioritizes rearranged, as Mary
experienced when Gabriel appeared in her house. It is the moment when
Annunciation becomes Incarnation. It is a process which was Mary’s, but which
is open to us all. It is the way that God keeps being born into this world. Just
say, “yes, let it be.”
I’m
going to play “Let it Be” for you now and while you’re listening to the song, I
want you to ponder these questions:
How
God is surprising me this Advent season?
How
am I being called to slow down or let go?
How
does it feel to begin to pray an echo of Mary’s open-hearted response, “May it
be so. Just as you say. Let it be. Let it be. Let it be.”
Link to song: here.
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