Dec. 17 - Answering God's Call: Oh?… But!…Ok!!!
Contributed by
Sylvia Shirk Charles, campus minister on Tuesday December 17
Scripture
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’
The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’
Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’
Then the angel departed from her.
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Devotion
A certain place, line of work, field of study, opportunity keeps catching your imagination. You see a need that seems to fit exactly what you do best and enjoy most.
God might be calling you. How do you respond?
Mary's life-changing call came in a visit from Gabriel, God's angel. I imagine her doing whatever young betrothed virgins did in a normal day in Palestine – maybe gardening, marketing, or food preparation. The visit may have come at night – up on the roof under a starry sky.
There's a three-part progression in Mary's response:
OH?…First she was much perplexed, and pondered the angel's greeting. This visitor's appearance, approach, or expression was bizarre. Mary noted everything and kept listening.
BUT!…Then, after Gabriel described God's scheme to take over her life and make her the mother of the Son of the Most High, Mary spoke up with a very practical question. "How will this be? I'm a girl, I've never had sex with anyone, I'm not supposed to be having children at all."
OK!!!…In reply, the angel offered Mary a mystical description of the conception, and a tangible sign by which she could prove God's message – her barren relative Elizabeth was already pregnant. When Mary spoke again, it was to consent, to risk everything for what she must have believed was God's call. Her words showed neither fear nor exuberance. Mary simply opened her life to God: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
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