With God nothing will be impossible

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

- Luke 1:26-38

In yesterday's reading, we were given a reading from Luke's first chapter, about Zacharias and Elizabeth. Zacharias and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist, and we read about John's conception. Elizabeth was barren, and both parents considerably aged. Zacharias, from a priestly lineage, took his turn to burn the incense at the hour of incense in the temple. While the multitude prayed outside, an angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias. Gabriel told him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John." Elizabeth's public "reproach" will be taken away from her - but first, Zacharias hesitates in responding to the announcement of Gabriel.

In today's reading, Luke takes us to another annunciation by Gabriel, "who stands in the presence of God." Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. My study bible notes here: "Mary (lit.,"exalted one") is betrothed to Joseph, a man of royal lineage, of the house (family) of David. Luke says twice for emphasis that Mary is a virgin." The "sixth month" is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. These families are already tied as kindred, but the reality of the Spirit creates deeper and greater ties. Gabriel appears to both women. In yesterday's reading, we were told that Gabriel "stands in the presence of God." It is important that we understand the present reality of such an appearance in our world - a holy reality interpenetrating earthly life.

And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" A note here reads, "Highly favored (Gr. charitoo) can also be translated 'full of grace.' Mary is greeted with an exalted salutation because, in her destiny to be the mother of Christ, she is the most blessed woman of all time. In accord with Luke's picture of her, Mary is praised in the Orthodox Church as being surrounded with divine grace and shining with holiness." Mary's great blessing is to be the bearer of Christ, of the Anointed One. Like all spiritual blessings, it is at the same time a responsibility to carry with one into the world - not necessarily bringing great power, luxury, or ease, but a gift from God befitting her capacity for its reception with love.

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Mary is immediately troubled - what does this mean? She makes an immediate connection, a receptivity to Gabriel. She doesn't doubt herself, doesn't doubt the presence of the angel, but there is an immediate receipt, an understanding. My study bible comments here, "What a description of the expected Messiah!" What kind of expectations does this set up for Mary? As Jesus' life plays out, as we read in the Gospels of what happens in His ministry through His persecution and death on the Cross, how does Mary understand what has happened, and the words of Gabriel? What faith is required for that?

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. A note here reads, "Holy Spirit and power of the Highest are synonymous; this is a case of repetition for emphasis. Holy One is a messianic title. That He is to be born of Mary demonstrates Christ's human nature. But that the Virgin will conceive and bear the Son of God reveals the divine nature of Christ. We note especially the reference to the Holy Trinity: God the Father (the Highest), the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Mary's question is not a refusal of the news, but a real question. She is engaged with Gabriel, in dialogue. Repeatedly we read in Scripture that this is what is asked of us from the Holy - an engagement, a dialogue, a willingness to be in relationship. It is the power of the Highest that will "overshadow" Mary, and the Holy Spirit that will come upon her; through her and her "engagement" with the holy will be born, therefore, the One called the Son of God.

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Gabriel begins to teach Mary about Elizabeth's marvelous conception, and gives her these words that will be echoed later in another form by Jesus, "For with God nothing will be impossible." Mary accepts, so much and in so many ways. A note here reads, "Mary's faithful response makes her the highest model of obedience to God. The Incarnation of the Son of God is not only the work of the Trinity, but also the work of the will and the faith of the Virgin. Therefore, the Virgin Mary is honored not only because God chose her, or because she bore the Son of God in the flesh, but also because she herself chose to believe and obey God firmly."

"For with God nothing will be impossible." These are tremendous words to ponder today. I wonder what it means to each one of us. So often, in prayer, I have entered into a dialogue with God only to expect or to wish upon God a certain outcome for myself. Often, these outcomes I'd like take the forms of what is expected, what I understand as good, or the best. But with Mary's great and astounding blessing, we wonder what the outcome is. How could she have predicted this blessing would take the form that it does in the eventual ministry and death of her Son? Although today we rejoice at the impending birth of Christ in our readings, I can't help but feel that this tremendous blessing teaches us so much more about what it is to be engaged with the Holy, with the Highest, and the Holy Spirit, and the Son. A blessing from the Holy confers with it the highest honor - and at the same time, perhaps, the most solemn of responsibilities. Can we carry forward our blessing in God's name, and seeking God's will in all things? Can we accept the outcomes that may not be "our own" - in our image of what is good? Let us remember that blessings, like this great light bursting into our world with its fire like that of a great sun, often take the forms which are surprising and stunning to us -- that light and knowledge and understanding may come in packages we would never have expected. Do we have the grace, like Mary, to see through it all? Do we have the faith that gives us the right sight, and hearing? "With God nothing will be impossible" means that we enter a realm that is not our own, in which anything can happen, and any and all uses for all of our worldly experiences may be encountered. We engage with the holy -- can we see its great light? Are we ready for all the possibilities, and the outcomes that will astound us? God will use all that we have and are for God's purposes, and it may be surprising what great things come from a humble presence, what rejoicing God can create through even the sad realities in our world. "For with God nothing will be impossible." Are you ready for that journey and the burning fire He brings with His birth and His incarnation into our world? Could each of us bear that blessing as will Mary? No wonder Gabriel tells her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"