Nothing is Impossible with God
As we approach Christmas, we will look together into the presence of Angels (Messengers of God) throughout the Christmas Story. Each of these Herald Angels comes with a message, and each of these messages tells us something of God’s will and agency in the world and in bringing about the Christmas Story.
Last week, the Angel visited Zachariah, an old priest, and told him that he and his wife, though old, would have a baby who would be filled with the holy spirit – heralding that God was about to come down to earth.
Today, we continue our story with the Angel’s visit to Mary, Elizabeth’s cousin and Mother-to-be of the Messiah.
Luke 1:26-38 – Mary, God Has a Surprise for You
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:
Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.
She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”
Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
The angel answered,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.
“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said,
Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.
Then the angel left her.
Commentary
Just like Zachariah and Elizabeth before her (and many more before them), Mary receives news of a miracle pregnancy, of a miracle baby coming to play a key part in God’s plan for salvation. While this story of an angel announcing a miracle child birth feels familiar, this one is quite different from the ones we’ve read before.
The parallel narratives of Elizabeth to Mary serve to strengthen the uniqueness of Mary’s story. Unlike the couples before her, Mary is young – not yet married. She has not been praying for a child through decades of barrenness; by contrast, she has likely only been able to physically conceive a child for a few months. Her son is not the result of an answered prayer; rather, this pregnancy is willed by God alone – with the consent of Mary, who bravely says, “Let it be with me just as you say.”
Mary is not receiving the answer to a prayer here, but a unique purpose for her life. From the moment that Mary hears the angel say to “call his name Jesus,” Mary knows that this child will be their salvation, for Jesus’ name is very closely related with the Hebrew word for salvation, “yeshu’a.” God is calling Mary to co-create this salvation baby, to give of her body in ways she had not yet fully considered in service to this holy kingdom of God. This is much more than the announcement of a miracle baby.
Scholars note that this story of Mary in Luke follows a traditional Old Testament Call narrative like those of Moses (Exodus 3:1-12) or Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-13). It has all the elements: a greeting (Good Morning, You’re Beautiful! (1:28)), a startled reaction (Mary was “thoroughly shaken (1:29)), an exhortation not to fear (1:30), a divine commission (You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.. (1:31-33)), an objection (But how? I’ve never slept with a man (1:34)), a reassurance (The Holy Spirit will come upon you … (1:35)), and the offer of a confirming sign (Elizabeth’s son to be born in an as yet barren womb (1:36-37)).
The Angel of the Lord comes in this story not only to announce a birth, which is certainly part of the message, but – most crucially – to call Mary into God’s plan.
God is doing lots of new things in this scripture. Beyond having a virgin give birth, which had never happened before, God sends this herald to invite Mary to be a partner in this particular holy moment. Mary has agency – she could have said no – but she also has vision. She recognizes what God is doing and accepts Gabriel’s call to co-create and carry this salvation baby with God.
Today’s Questions
Jesus’ name is closely related to the Hebrew word for Salvation, “yeshu’a” (commonly translated in a name as Joshua). Thus when we call upon the name of Jesus, or pray in the name of Jesus, we are praying in the name of Salvation. What does salvation mean to you? What do you think it looks like to “be saved”? Do you believe we need saving in the first place?
One of Gabriel’s major points in this message is that ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ (v. 37). What do you think this means? What outcome that you might hope for feels impossible to you right now? Do you believe it can happen with the help of God?
There is a common theological problem that goes something like this: Can God create a rock so heavy that God cannot lift it? How would you respond? With that in mind, what then might it mean for nothing to be impossible for our God?
Mary was part of God doing something that God had never done before. Is God trying something new in your life now? Is God calling you to partner with them in doing something new? How will you answer the call?
A Blessing for Your Week
Child of God,
When God does something new,
May your faith help you to see it
When God calls you to be a partner,
May you boldly answer ‘yes’
And when God sends salvation to you,
From within or by name,
May God give you vision to see it,
Bravery to be part of it,
And Wonder to let God amaze you
By doing the impossible.
Amen.
Rev. Kelsey Sherazi 