A Surprising Greeting

The angel went to [Mary] 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.
- Luke 1:28-29

In today’s passage, Mary receives a surprising greeting. Her life as a young peasant woman in Nazareth in Galilee wouldn’t have given her much access to the extraordinary sights and sounds that he world has to offer. Nothing could have prepared her to have a conversation with an angel.

Yet her response is interesting. Time and time again in the Bible people respond to angels with two things: reverence and fear. They fall to the ground. The angels of the Bible have nothing in common with the cute and cuddly cherubs of Renaissance art. That’s what makes Mary’s response to the angel so interesting. She focuses on the words that the angel speaks to her and takes them to heart, trying to discern their meaning.

In the face of a stunning sight like an angel, many of us would be so distracted by what we’re seeing that we wouldn’t pay much attention to the words that are coming out of the angel’s mouth. Theologians throughout Christian history have taken note of Mary’s willingness to listen to and contemplate the word of the Lord, whether it’s delivered through an angel or through her own child.

Mary felt troubled by what she heard. Her life experience – her poverty and her geographical location – wouldn’t lead her to believe either that she was “highly favored” or that “the Lord was with her.” Others lived more #blessed lives than her. Others had better access to the Temple and, through the Temple, to the Lord. The angel’s greeting signaled the coming of a great change in how human beings would perceive God’s blessing and would receive access to the Lord.

It’s not always clear and obvious what God is doing in the moment. Sometimes, we’ll only see with clarity when we look over our shoulders. And sometimes, God’s work will happen beyond the edges of our vision and the limits of our comprehension.

Despite this, in Jesus Christ we hear good news: You are highly favored and the Lord is with you. Like Mary, we’re invited to carry God himself as we bear his Spirit in our hearts and love others in his name. God’s happiness, his blessing, his favor rests on all who trust in Jesus.

What steps can you take today to remind yourself – in the midst of a confusing world – that you are highly favored and that the Lord is with you?

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