Luke 1:26-38; 34; 38 Greetings, Favored One!

Luke 1:26-38; 34; 38 Greetings, Favored One!

[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, [27] to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
34] Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
[38] Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

What is happening in this scripture? - This profound, beautiful scripture never fails to bring me close to tears. Especially the line, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” I took several verses out of context: The greeting from the angel, Mary’s initial response and Mary’s final response. First, the greeting from the messenger: Greetings, favored one! What would it feel like to be addressed by a messenger from God, and called “Favored one?” Then the line, “The Lord is with you.” Mary is told that she will bear a child who will inherit David’s throne, and his kingdom will have no end. Interestingly, humorously, Mary’s response isn’t regarding all the things that Jesus will be, but rather, “How can this be, I am a virgin?” The messenger tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the Most High will overshadow her, and therefore the child will be holy. In addition, her relative Elizabeth, who was barren, is pregnant, for nothing will be impossible with God. Then Mary responds with the words that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Samuel, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.”

How is this happening in the world today? – One of the unfortunate things that we do when we read the scriptures, I believe, is that we read these stories and think they are only about other people, who lived long ago, and in Mary’s case, someone who became a member of the Holy Family, along with Joseph. We read these stories and say to ourselves, “What a beautiful story! What amazing people they were!”

But ponder these questions:

What would it be like for you to be greeted by a messenger from God, who says to you,
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!”
Where in your life do you know God is favoring you?
How do you know the Lord is with you?
What is your response to this greeting? Do you say, how can this be, for I am….
too small, too weak, too sinful, too poor, too busy, too sad, too confused, etc.?
How or when have you felt the holy spirit to come upon you?
How has the Most High overshadowed you? (Note: Don’t you just love this imagery? When something overshadows you it has to come close enough to cast a shadow. So the question could be put: “How does God’s presence cast a shadow over your life?” Also, a shadow can help you see in the bright light better, and can cool and protect you from a hot sun. How is God your umbrella? Your cover?
How does God’s overshadowing make your life set apart, sacred, holy?
How does God overcome you? Do you allow that to happen? How do you participate in that?
When have you said, “Here am I, a servant of the Lord”?

May we, in 2007 answer God’s call to us, his favored ones, with “Here am I, a servant of the Lord.” - RSP