Christmas ViewpointSample

The Announcement to Mary

'In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.'

Let's consider, really consider, what it must have been like to be Mary at this moment. Mary was following in the footsteps of generations of women before her. Get married, raise a family, and live happily ever after. Her plans seem to take a detour. Mary experiences a celestial encounter that results in the announcement that she will be divinely impregnated by the Holy Spirit and carry, deliver, and mother, the Son of God.

At first glance, the idiom 'thrown a monkey wrench' would seem to apply to Mary's situation, for it means to 'damage or change something that prevents it from working properly.' Certainly, Mary must have thought her life – as she knows it – was over, and for all intents and purposes, it was.

This encounter did more than change the trajectory of Mary's life, but that of all humankind. She couldn't wrap her brain around it, and when we attempt to understand this account from her point of view, we pass no judgment by the statement, "How will this be."

There are no monkey wrenches thrown when it comes to God's will. It may seem incredible, nonsensical, or unbelievable, but it is never impossible with God. Yet, Mary's ultimate willingness is astounding; "May your word to me be fulfilled." God's ability and Mary's availability eliminate any attempt at monkey wrenches being thrown!

Viewpoint Reflection

Have you ever been 'thrown a monkey wrench' – something that was totally unplanned and caught you off guard? What did you learn about yourself from that experience? What did you learn about God from that experience?