By now you are probably asking yourself, “Good Gracious, is it Christmas already?” Our surprise about the closeness of the days ahead is pretty mild compared to what Mary must have felt when the angel told her she was going to have a baby! (Luke 1:31)
When was the last time you were surprised by something God did in your life? Maybe it was the healing of a broken relationship. Maybe it was a call to a special ministry. Maybe it was the emergence of friendship in what had been a lonely place. Maybe it was the unexpected gift of peace in a funeral service. Maybe it was the joy you had in feeding the homeless. God ain’t through with surprising us!
Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that God’s word “shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Mary’s response (Luke 1:38) confirms this truth because she said “let it be with me according to your word.” Her willingness to bear this mystery Child is a sign that God was indeed at work in all of this.
See the title of this week’s lesson. Look back at the title of last week’s lesson. Sneak a look ahead at the title of the studies for the rest of this month The human factor varies from week to week, but there is one constant: the Holy Spirit. It is God’s abiding presence that makes all of this good news possible.
What God is doing in our midst can be mystifying. Mary was “perplexed” by the way the angel greeted her (Luke 1:28-29). We may be comfortable when God is going about business as usual, but when God is doing a new thing, we join Mary in being perplexed. In fact, if, from time to time I do not wonder “What in the world is going on...what does this mean”—I may be missing something new that God is doing.
Mary had questions (vv. 29, 34), but that was okay with God’s messenger (the angel). Mary continued the dialogue until she said “Yes.” Is God waiting for my “Yes”?
Isn’t it just like God to show up in some unlikely place (v. 26)? We best stay spiritually alert. It may be God who shows up at the door.
What Someone Else Has Said: Jonathan Augustine (Meditations for Advent, Duke Divinity School) has written: “We should all share Mary’s excitement...Ending food scarcities, undoing systemic racism, and achieving gender equality are all possible with God. Indeed, all things are possible with God.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Come, Holy Spirit...”
