The Annunciation to Mary.
Sunday 6th December
Text: Luke 1: 26-38
An Angel named Gabriel was sent by God with a message for a young woman named Mary who lived in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Luke refers to Mary as a ‘virgin’. It was customary to refer to unmarried young women as virgins. Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. It was the custom for a father to arrange a engagement and marriage for a daughter. The engagement was a legal contract. Should the man die before the wedding the woman would be considered as a widow.
Gabriel greeted Mary with the words “The Lord is with you. You are truly blessed.” The words and the unexpected encounter with an angel troubled Mary. She was confused. She wondered what the words meant. Gabriel assured her that God was pleased with her and that she would have a baby named Jesus. Gabriel identified her child as the Son of God. He would be a king in the line of King David’s family.
Mary continued to be baffled. She reminded Gabriel that she was not married and asked “How can this happen?” Gabriel responded that the Holy Spirit would come down to her and that she would experience God’s power. The child would be called ‘the Holy Son of God’.
As Mary listened Gabriel gave her the news that her cousin Elizabeth was also going to have a son in three months, though she was old in age. And that nothing was impossible for God. The Annunciation ended as Mary declared that she would accept God’s message and that she would give birth to the Son of God.
Ponder: What would the young Mary have felt as she listened to Gabriel? Would she have been docile, felt trapped or did she feel challenged?
Monday 7th December
Ponder – Blessed: Gabriel said to Mary that God had chosen her because she was truly blessed.
What would you understand if someone says that you are truly blessed?
Tuesday 8th December
Ponder – Obedient: Was Mary being obedient to God or did she feel she had no option?
How would you respond if you were asked to be obedient? What would you expect from a child when the word is used?
Wednesday 9th December
Ponder – Choice: Would Mary have felt trapped by God’s request since she was not given a choice?
How do you respond between what you wish for as opposed to what God is placing before you?
Thursday 10th December
Ponder – Daring: Mary is given a voice in Luke’s Gospel. She dares to question Gabriel.
Have you ever dared to challenge God in your prayers?
Friday 11th December
Ponder – Faith: Mary believed that all things were possible with God. Such was her faith.
Is your faith in God the foundation of your Life?
Saturday 12th December
Faith – A Contemporary Story
Janet left the auditorium with a sense of achievement. She’d done it! She had graduated from University and was ready to begin a new journey. Her parents were waiting for her and so was Ben. She walked slowly towards them, hugged her mother, smiled with her father and placed her hand in Ben’s. Neither of her older siblings had come to wish her well. She hadn’t expected them to come. She knew that neither of them disliked her – they just took her for granted. She got into the car and drove off with Ben.
“Would you like to go for a coffee, Janet?” Ben asked. “Would you mind if we skipped it and went down to the lake?” she replied. “It’s your special day Janet and it is a beautiful evening!” Ben headed for the Lake.
No words were needed as they walked hand in hand. They had been friends for years and knew each other well. Soon there would be an official engagement followed by a wedding. Their parents knew each other and were happy that Ben and Janet were planning to get married.
Returning home Janet quietly slipped into her room and gently closed the door. Kicking off her shoes she lay on her bed and shut her eyes. ‘ Where to from here?’ she thought. How and when would she inform her parents that she didn’t want a position in the family Law Firm? She had never wanted jobs like the ones her older siblings enjoyed. She was happy for them, but it was not what she wanted. And then there was Ben. He took it for granted that she would be working in the family Law Firm till he finished Medical School.
Janet had no clear idea as to when she knew that she wanted to study Theology. She didn’t see herself as a religious person. She was not actively involved with the church. She was not a regular worshipper either. But somewhere deep within her she recalled being about 8 years old when she said to the Minister of her church that one day she would be a ‘Reverend’ like her. As years passed the thought had surfaced from time to time. She had never shared it with her parents or with any of the Ministers who followed. She just knew that God had planted a seed in her mind years ago. Now it was time for her to act, to make a decision, to inform her family and Ben that she had sent in her application to enter Theological College.
She was nervous. Would they support her? She felt fear followed by belief in herself. Slowly she felt excited that her faith in God would support her in the decision she had made. She got off her bed and prepared herself for sleep.
Ponder:
Was Janet responding to a Call from God or was she looking for a way to make her own decisions?
How would you continue this story?