We meet Mary at a deeply special time in her life, engaged to be married. Can you imagine her excitement? But if there was a buzz around all of that, imagine what an encounter with an angel generated?
Here is how Luke records Mary’s experience Before An Angel (Luke 1:26-38)
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to 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.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."
There are two words which open up Mary’s experience…
➡️ Surprise (Luke 1:26-33)
It’s easy to see why Mary was troubled by Gabriel’s greeting. “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you”.
I can imagine Mary asking, “Why would an angel come to greet me? In what way am I “highly favoured” (“greatly graced”) by God? How is God with me?”
However, when we reflect on Mary’s response to this angelic visit we see how it reveals her humility and her honesty before God. She never expected to see an angel and receive special favours from heaven.
There is a massive contrast between the attitude of Mary in this moment and the prevailing culture of this generation. We live in an age of entitlement.
This is the generation which says:
- I deserve…
- I’m entitled…
- Pay my bills…
- Take care of me…
- Don’t offend me…
- It’s really all about me!
If our generation encountered the angel, we say something like, “What took you so long?!”
But here is a teenager who displays a deep sense of humility and honesty. She’s disturbed by the experience and wonders what it all means.
Gabriel then gave her the good news: she would become the mother of the promised Messiah whom she would name Jesus.
From Mary’s Surprise we turn to her:
➡️ Surrender (Luke 1:34-38)
Mary knew what would happen, but she didn’t know how it would happen. Her question in verse 34 was not an evidence of unbelief (verse 18); rather, it was an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she didn’t understand the performance. As the Message captures it: “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
There is a world of difference between someone who says, ‘I don’t believe this’ and the person who says, ‘I don’t understand this.’
If you’re struggling with some aspects of the Christian faith, then you are in the very best company!
Rend Collective have a great line in the song, My Lighthouse - “In the questions, your truth will hold”. The Christian faith has stood up to 2000 years of rigorous scrutiny. And its truth holds.
Mary comes to the angel with her question and the response it generated is remarkable. There is a deeper, fuller and richer understanding of the God’s ways and of God’s Son.
First, Gabriel explains that this would be a miracle, the work of the Holy Spirit.
Then the angel gave Mary a word of encouragement: her older relative Elizabeth was also expecting a child, proving that “nothing is impossible with God”.
Mary’s believing response was to surrender herself to God as his willing servant. She experienced the grace of God (verse 30), believed the word of God and therefore was used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said”.
She belonged to the Lord body (Luke 1:38), soul (v.46) and spirit (v.47).
What an example for us to follow.
Mary teaches us through her surprise at the angel’s announcement and her surrender to God’s Word that this brings blessing from God.
Paul urges us to give ourselves to God as “living sacrifices, holy – the kind he can accept. When you think of how much he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1-2)
This Week…
Read the Bible passage again.
Reflect on what it says, means and how it applies to you.
Respond - What does Mary teach us about how we should respond to God’s call on our lives?
Song Choice - Tell Out, My Soul - Keswick, Lewis Green https://open.spotify.com/track/5dSOkhcG53BBFC3FZ2ZjZ8?si=tpZlpZzGRBGwafgJ7vD_nA
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