Advent | A Family ReflectionSample

Highly Favored
by Mark Galli  

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Luke 1:28

“Greetings, you who are highly favored!” Biblical commentators have fun speculating why Mary was greeted like this. She is often pictured as a devout young woman, pure in heart, whose righteousness won her the honor of bearing Jesus. But in fact, the Bible shows no interest whatsoever in Mary's life prior to this moment (and relatively little afterward). This announcement to Mary comes completely out of the blue, as if it were an act of sheer grace.

Indeed, an act of grace to Mary and to us. Before we could decide for or against God, before we could show him how religious we are, before we could ask forgiveness for our first sin, before we were the apple of our parents’ eyes, before the foundation of the world, God favored us. Not because he knew we would blossom into greatness. Not because he saw that we would become good Christians someday. Not even because we were humble enough to know we are not good Christians (which is really a kind of stealth pride!). No, we were favored when God knew well enough that we would fail to live up to our potential, that most days we would be miserable little disciples. Yes, in spite of the fact that we would be sad, fearful, doubting, anxious, and sinful people, he favored us.

He has shown his favor in many ways, more than the number of hairs on our head, but every sign of his favor is grounded in the one sign: when he became one of us, one with us. He did so that we might become not only like him, but—and here’s the sheer grace of it all—one with him. Is there any greater favor than to share intimately in the life of God himself?

Read Luke 1:26–38, then focus on verse 28. What did God’s favor mean to Mary? What does it mean in your life? 

Mark Galli is editor in chief of Christianity Today.