Slices
Prepare
How do you respond to God’s call? Try to ignore him? Make a fuss and say you can’t possibly? Or just quietly get on with it?… ‘Dear Lord, may I always be ready to do your good will. Amen.’
Bible passage
The birth of Jesus foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’
34 ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
35 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. 36 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. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.’
38 ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.
Explore
In the drama series The Crown, one of Her Majesty’s trademark phrases is ‘hmmm’. I translate it as: ‘I’ve got that but I need to think about its implications.’
Today’s reading introduces us to Mary. A very different woman from the Queen with a very different destiny. But there are surprising similarities. They both know they are called by God, and with his help they both grow into their roles.
I like to think that Mary was chosen by God as someone who wouldn’t fuss. Yes, she is greatly troubled when she hears the angel’s words (v 29). And she genuinely cannot see how this can all be possible (v 34). But her faith is such that she doesn’t take much convincing to turn her negative into a positive.
She was ready and waiting, steeped in the Scriptures. There must have been all kinds of questions in her head, but she only asks the one. She must have felt very alone when Gabriel left her to digest the news and get on with it… But, as with us too, God is never far away.
Respond
Pray today for all the people who are quietly getting on with what God has called them to, however difficult or strange it may seem at times. Include yourself! Ask for his blessing.
Deeper Bible study
‘Of the Father’s love begotten / ere the worlds began to be’.1
Birth announcements tend to follow a formula – but not these. Both Matthew2 and Luke emphasise the virgin conception of Jesus. Despite much ridicule, this has been an important element of Christian belief from the earliest days. Three times in this passage Luke uses the term ‘virgin’. On one hand we have a young woman, probably still in her teens, with little social standing, from an insignificant village in Galilee. On the other we have the Holy Spirit and the birth of a child who will be called the Son of God (v 35), who will reign on David’s throne for ever (vs 32,33).3 This is Luke’s version of John’s ‘The Word became flesh’4 and parallels Matthew’s reference to the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. The Gospel writers insist, as do the writers of the New Testament letters,5 that Jesus is both fully God and fully human.
Some people find the idea of virgin conception a hindrance to Christian faith, but with God, the Creator of the Earth and its laws, all things are possible (v 37). The virgin conception is one of the glories of Christian faith. It ensures that we have in Jesus one who, because he is both human (as a consequence of natural growth in Mary’s womb) and divine (by virtue of the Spirit’s intervention), is uniquely qualified to save the world and who, because he shares our humanity, can enter into our deepest feelings.6
Given the nature of the message and the way in which Jesus is described, this is a tough ask for Mary. Submitting to the will of God will be costly. It often is. But Mary is up for the challenge and provides us with a model response to the call of God.
What might God be calling you to this Christmas? How will you respond?
1 Aurelius Prudentius, 348–413; tr JM Neale, 1818–66 2 Matt 1:23,24 3 See 2 Sam 7:16 4 John 1:14 5 Eg Col 1:15–20; 2:9; Heb 1:1–4 6 Heb 4:16
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Haggai 1,2; Revelation 16
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for the bedding in of the new supporter relations system which will involve changes to staff processes. Pray that the benefits will start to be felt through greater efficiency and deeper relationships with supporters. Give thanks for Jim Winning (Supporter Care) and Dave Parsons (Finance) and their teams who have persevered through all the changes.
