Advent - God Knows What He's AboutSample

Gabriel visits Mary  

A little over 20 years ago, I got the news: you’re going to have a baby boy! At first, I was thrilled. Then I was terrified. What if something went wrong? What if I wasn’t cut out to be a mom? How would I know what to do? 

A little over 2,000 years ago, Mary got the news. And in a spectacular way. A doctor told me. An angel of the Lord visited Mary! Here she was, a teenage girl, not yet married, and Gabriel came to tell her she was special and the Lord had chosen her. I love how honest her first reaction was. Different translations say she was “perturbed at these words,” or “she was thoroughly shaken,” or “she was greatly troubled.” And she hadn’t even gotten the real surprise yet. Just knowing that the Lord God saw her and favored her was enough to disturb her to her core.

Then the angel said, “Do not be afraid.” 

Having someone tell you not to be afraid instantly makes you brave, right? Yeah. Me neither.

The angel went on: “You will conceive and give birth to a son.” Not, “Hey, Mary, we’d really like you to do this. What do you think?” Just, “Mary, this is going to happen.” Again, she was troubled and confused. She asked, “But, how?”

The angel said, “The Holy Spirit. Because God’s promises must be fulfilled.” And Mary—innocent, unwed, soon to be mom that she is—replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be so.”

What a remarkable example of faith. Mary, shaken and greatly troubled by the words of the angel, committed herself to the Lord’s plan. She offered her life to bring life to the Savior.

Like Mary, we are to be bearers of the good news. We are called to share God’s love and grace in this broken world. Like Mary, we dare to say, “Here I am, Lord. I am your servant. Use me.” 

Jen Jones
Director, Data Quality and Institutional Analytics, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor