Every year in the advent season, we read the same passages again and again. What is amazing to me... and evidence of God's living, breathing, and holy word... is that the passages come alive and speak new truths every single time. This year is no different. Luke 1:38 may be my passage for the season.
"Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her." -Luke 1:38
The messenger angel, Gabriel, shows up, unexpectedly. Who would not be terrified? Especially a young woman, not much beyond girlhood. What an unexpected disruption to her life as she was planning for her life with her fiancé. Talk about an "unplanned pregnancy!"
"God with us" calls for "us with God." It starts with a holy "Yes." Wow!
Mary in a matter of minutes would decide if she would say, "Yes." to what the angel disclosed as God's plan for her life. Talk about a "special agent" in God's special forces. She did not train for the assignment, but all of her life led up to it. Her relationship with God prepared her to be the one prophesized in Isaiah:
"Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). -Isaiah 7:13-14"
Yes, she knew the scriptures. Did she ever dream she would be "the one" selected? Probably not.
Oh sweet Mary... soon to be literally "the Mother of God" ... when faced with the biggest decision of her life, she answered with a holy "Yes."
This year, what struck me as new was the last part of Luke 1:38... "And then the angel left her."
The angel did not say, "Hey, let's meet again next week for coffee to go over any questions or concerns you might have." No, the angel dropped the bombshell and then... he left her! My mind cannot begin to conceive what she was feeling.
Honored but anxious? Overwhelmed? Shocked? Terrified... trembling... yet, somehow in a moment... a peace floods over her spirit as she accepts the call to be the mother of the Messiah. She finds her "holy yes."
The angel left her, but not without the news of her cousin, Elizabeth's shocking late in life pregnancy would be an encouragement for Mary. Elizabeth would provide her with companionship and someone to talk to about unexpected interruptions from God's plan. Mary responded in faith, and God provided her a special comfort in Elizabeth's situation. Not the same, but connected. Elizabeth and Zechariah would raise "John the Baptist" as we know him. Mary and Joseph would raise Yeshua... Immanuel... "God with us."
The angel left her after she said, "Yes." Her trust and her faith was what God required. She had to choose to believe and receive the assignment. I love when the scriptures say, "She pondered these things in her heart." Her humility and sincerity are evidence of her character and grace.
For 400 years, God had been silent. Never absent, but watching with quiet authority until the time was right. The girl was right. The man was right. The two of them accepted the mission before them. They became God's special agents. Once the assignment was received, the source of the orders left.
Today, I am grateful "the angel left her."
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