ADVENT LOVE

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.“

Luke 1:30-31

Once again on this Fourth Sunday of Advent we have a smorgasbord of readings from which to choose, including one repeated from last Sunday.

To add to the confusion, it is also December 24, which means that many churches will be celebrating Christmas Eve services in the evening. Some have opted to skip Advent Four altogether.

And I know of one case where the calendar was moved up by a week, so that each Sunday of Advent was celebrated a week earlier in order to avoid the conflict. This was made possible by skipping Christ the King.

Some non-denominational and non-liturgical churches celebrated Christmas last weekend but will still hold Christmas Eve services this day. Go figure.

But when or how we should celebrate Advent or Christmas is a topic for another post.

This day, since the focus is on Mary, and the announcement by the Angel Gabriel that she has found favor with God, I want to ask a question.

What does it mean to “find favor with God”?

How do we understand Mary’s unique role in God’s mighty plan of salvation? How do we understand the angel Gabriel’s greeting to her as, not once, but twice, he tells her she is “favored?” 

Mary was a young girl of about thirteen.  For us, that means a young girl, perhaps in seventh or even eighth grade in school.  Mary was just starting to become a young woman. She was just beginning to go through that change within her whereby she would be able to give birth to a child.

This was a very exciting time for her – until she receives this bit of news that she has found favor with God and will conceive, carry and bear the son of God.

Mary didn’t know what to make of it; she was puzzled, perplexed, confused, troubled, worried, and afraid. 

And how could she not be?  She is, as she protests, still a virgin.  Moreover, unlike what the accompanying painting might imply, she is not from a high, noble class of people, but common, ordinary, of little account in her world and definitely not the stuff of legends. 

Mary cannot even believe this impossible possibility.

She probably is wondering: Who am I? Why am I favored? How can the Lord be with me?

She knows her place. She knows who she is, a “handmaiden,” a servant. 

And this should not be happening. In modern parlance, she’s a teenager, and from the wrong side of the tracks no less.  

Only after expressing her wonder and dismay, and then hearing again Gabriel’s affirmation and promise, does she manage to summon the courage to believe that God has indeed favoring her by working in her and through her for the wellbeing of the world. 

These words were directed towards Mary, but these words also speak to us today. We can hear these words being addressed to our own lives: “Do not be afraid, (insert your name here), for you have found favor with God.”

It is no small thing to be favored, especially when you are exceedingly aware that you should not be. Going into the weekend before Christmas, in the midst of everything that is this season, what would it be like to experience, to know, that God favors you?  

God does! And here’s why.

When you were baptized, you were favored by God.  You were given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore the Holy Spirit is the “father” of our faith.  

When the Holy Spirit penetrates our lives, there’s a new life created in us.

So there is a definite parallel between Mary and us. No, you will not conceive and bear the son of God. That’s already been done.

But just you wait! As God did great things for Mary and through Mary, God plans to do marvelous things through you.  For nothing will be impossible with God.

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This is the final Advent reflection. I will most likely not attempt another daily reflection effort anytime soon. This has been a joyous, but painstakingly exhausting challenge. My hope is that it has been a benefit to you and enhanced your relationship with God.

As in the previous two Sundays, I will close with a musical prayer. It is said that music is the universal language. Thus, I have made an effort to find unconventional offerings of music that is thoroughly familiar, not only with us but throughout the global church.

If you’ve missed the previous two Sundays, here is the one from the Second Sunday of Advent.

Last week, I featured a Marty Haugen piece from Holden Evening Prayer that combines the annunciation and the Magnificat. If you would like to meditate with that piece, you can view it by clicking HERE.

Today, I would like to begin the Christmas celebration early, with a musical announcement of the birth of our Savior, as sung by the Jakarta Tabernacle Choir of Indonesia. This will be our closing prayer for this Fourth Sunday of Advent.