“Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David's house. The virgin's name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.' ... Mary said, "Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." The angel departed from her.”
Mary was probably a teenager. She lived in a town of a few hundred people where everyone knew everyone's business. She was engaged, which in her world was already binding.
And she is asked to say yes to something that would cost her nearly everything she could count on. Her reputation, in a place where reputation was survival. Her engagement, since Joseph would have every right to walk away. Possibly her safety.
She asks one honest question about how it will work. Then she says, let it be done to me according to your word.
What gets me is how ordinary she is. There is no indication that Mary was remarkable before this. She was not a prophet or a princess. She was a young woman in a small town who happened to be paying attention when God spoke, and who said yes without knowing how it would turn out.
We tend to imagine that a big calling comes with a feeling of readiness. Mary's story suggests otherwise. She was troubled. She did not understand. She said yes anyway.
And notice she was not given the whole plan. She got a name and a promise and nothing about the next thirty years. No preview of the flight to Egypt, the misunderstandings, or standing at the foot of a cross watching her son die. Just enough to take the next step.
That is usually all we get too. Not the map. The next step, and the same question Mary answered: will you say yes to God before you know how it ends?
Talk About It Together
Family friendly day. Younger ones can answer these too.
- What do you think Mary was most afraid of?
- Is there something you sense God asking of you that you have been avoiding?
- What makes it hard to say yes before you know how things will turn out?
Tonight’s Challenge
Say yes to one thing today you have been putting off because you cannot see how it will work out.
Prayer
God, thank You for a young woman in a small town who said yes without knowing the cost. We want to be that available to You. Give us courage for the next step even when we cannot see the whole road. Let it be done to us according to Your word. Amen.