Integrative Sermon: Luke 1:26-38 (Advent 4, Year B)

Dan Matz Witness of the Gospels Integrative Sermon: Luke 1:26-38 (Advent 4, Year B) May 1, 2005

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In today’s gospel lesson, we again have heard a familiar story, the story of the annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel. The story of the annunciation to Mary begins in “the sixth month.” This is not a reference to a month in the calendar year. Instead, it is a reference to

Luke’s first story, the annunciation to Zechariah. After a brief introduction, Luke’s Gospel tells the story of the appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah. We are told that Zechariah was a priest who was married to a woman named Elizabeth. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not have any children, because Elizabeth was “barren”, and both Elizabeth and Zechariah were too old to have children.

One day while Zechariah was in the temple carrying out his priestly duties, an angel, later identified as Gabriel, appeared to him and told him that his wife would have a son to be named

John, better known to us as “John the Baptist”. John would be “great in the sight of the Lord”, and would help prepare the way of Lord. What Gabriel had told Zechariah came true, and

Elizabeth’s pregnancy was in its sixth month when Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Luke’s account of the annunciation to Mary begins with the appearance of the angel

Gabriel to Mary in the town of Nazareth. In addition to being known from annunciation to

Zechariah, Gabriel is mentioned twice in the Book of Daniel as an angel of revelation. In the larger biblical context, Gabriel is also one of only two good angels named in the Bible.

Because Gabriel had earlier appeared to Zechariah, it may not be surprising that Gabriel would appear again to someone else. Yet the identity of the person who Gabriel appeared to is surprising, and would have surprised people at the time. We may feel we know Mary pretty well from the gospels and other stories in the Christian tradition, yet Luke tells us very little about her. We are told that she lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee, that she was a virgin, and that she was engaged to a man named Joseph who was descended from the house of David. When we hear the word “engaged”, we immediately think of engagement in today’s terms. Yet at the time of Jesus, as there are in some cultures today, there were different traditions about engagements and marriages. Marriages were arranged between extended families, and were an agreement between parents. The period that we would call the engagement began when there was agreement between the two sets of parents, and involved a contract. Once the contract was completed a formal divorce would be required to end the agreement. Periods of engagement could last for a considerable time, and once the marriage was publicly celebrated the bride formally joined the husband’s family.

Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (v.

28) From the small amount of information we are given about Mary, there is nothing about Mary that would lead us to expect that she would receive this kind of greeting, that an angel would appear to her, or God would choose to do something special and unique through her. The appearance of an angel to someone would not have been the surprising part of this encounter, because it was an accepted belief in parts of the Jewish tradition that angels appeared to people.

Yet angels usually did not appear to people like Mary. As far as we can tell, Mary was a typical young woman of the time. As a young woman waiting for the public celebration of her marriage, Mary would have been very low on the social scale. The text does not indicate that she or her family had done anything to single her out as one to whom an angel would appear. Yet

God did choose her over people of more social standing and importance to society. When Gabriel appeared to Mary, immediately wondered what was happening. The text tells us that she “was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” (v. 29) Gabriel responded to Mary’s uncertainty by telling her not to be afraid, and that she had found favor with God. Gabriel continued speaking to Mary by giving her a four-part message. First, Mary is told that she will have a son, and that she is to name her son “Jesus”.

Second, Mary is told that the child will be the Son of God and will rule from David’s throne forever. Third, in response to her question about how this birth will occur, Mary is told that the

Holy Spirit will make it happen. As a result, Jesus will be holy, and will be called “Son of God”.

Fourth, Mary is given the pregnancy of her relative Elizabeth as a sign that what Gabriel has said will indeed happen.

Gabriel’s last words to Mary are “For nothing will be impossible with God.” These words, and the announcement by Gabriel that Elizabeth is pregnant, are echoes of God’s words to Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Abraham and

Sarah were able to have a son in their old age through God’s actions. If this could happen, then it should not be surprising that Mary could also be involved in a miraculous pregnancy.

Mary is given the last word in the story. She responds to Gabriel’s message by saying

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (v. 37) Mary’s response completed Gabriel’s mission, and Gabriel left. Mary did not stop to consider what her role might mean for her personally before she responded, but willingly accepted the role that

God had chosen for her. The initiative was not Mary’s, but was God’s, who chose Mary for unknown reasons. Mary had done nothing to earn or deserve God’s favor. Yet when Gabriel spoke to her and told her what would happen, Mary responded positively. She declared herself

God’s servant, and was open to whatever might happen next. Mary’s response provides us with a model for discipleship. God called Mary for a specific task, to be the mother of Jesus. Mary believed what Gabriel told her, and accepted her role in God’s plan. Mary’s response to Gabriel is different than the earlier response of Zechariah to Gabriel’s announcement that he was going to become the father of John. Zechariah shows more fear than Mary. Mary asks how the birth will happen, while Zechariah asks how it can happen. As a priest, Zechariah should have known the religious tradition, and that similar things had happened at other times. Mary, because of her age and gender, may not have known much about earlier traditions of miraculous births, yet she accepted Gabriel’s message. Ultimately, a young woman, who faces shame because of what will happen to her, is portrayed as having more faith than the old priest. Zechariah has doubts about what will happen even though he will not be shamed or face shame if Elizabeth has a child. This is a reversal of expectations, the first of many in Luke’s Gospel.

Mary’s faith allowed her to celebrate God’s salvation in advance. Mary’s response to

God is an example of how Luke hopes his audience will respond to following God. It is also one of several examples in Luke’s gospel of God doing what is unexpected, and using unexpected people to live out God’s purposes. Through God’s action and initiative, Mary moved from being one without status to one having status. Mary lived out an important role in God’s plan of salvation, even though her place in life would not have suggested that she would be the one God would choose to be the mother of “the Son of the Most High.”

The story of Mary is part of a much larger story. It is story that literally began “In the beginning,” and that continues today. We who are preparing to again celebrate the birth of

Mary’s son, Jesus, are a part of God’s story. Just as Mary was called by God for a specific purpose, we are also called by God as individuals, as a congregation, and as the church to play parts in God’s plan for the world. God uses people like Mary, and like us, to carry out God’s purposes for the world. We may not think that we have a role to play in God’s plan, or that our roles are only very small when compared to the roles of others. Yet in God’s way of viewing things, there are no small parts to play. Every part, because it is carried out in God’s name, is a big part. The things God asks us to do may not be easy, but we are promised that Jesus, Mary’s son and God’s son, is with us as we do them.

As we prepare again to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Mary’s story reminds us about the

God we worship. We remember that God keeps God’s promises. God promised over many generations to send a savior into the world. This happened through Jesus. Although we might be tempted at this time of year to look at the baby in the manger, we remember that our salvation came through Jesus’ death on the cross, in our place. We also remember that God works through people, regardless of their social status or societal importance, to carry out the work that God wishes to have done in the world. As we remember Mary’s role in God’s plan for the world, may we be open to God’s calls for us and listen for them, today and every day of our lives.