From
Luke 1 (NRSV) 26 In the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a
virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The
virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings,
favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ 29But she was much perplexed by
his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The
angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
will name him Jesus. 34Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be,
since I am a virgin?’ 35The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore
the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 37For
nothing will be impossible with God.’ 38Then Mary said, ‘Here am I,
the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the
angel departed from her.
Mary was in a dream world called betrothal when she
and Joseph were to make plans for their marriage and life together. Suddenly,
this dream was shattered by a light, by a figure clothed in white, by a voice
that spoke her name. And, as Mary responds to the angel’s announcement and
God’s request of her, she offers you and me a gift. I call this gift the choice of acceptance. Acceptance is
difficult for many of us. It is difficult because we have been raised to be
determined rather than accepting, and when we are encouraged to be accepting it
is usually to accept a forced option … “you’ve just got to accept it,” we are
told. “Acceptance is good for you … it is the only way you will find peace, it
is the only way to get on with your life, it is the only way you can allow God
into your life.” Acceptance may have been good for us, but it was also a kind
of “bitter medicine” we had to
take, more of a weary resignation. Acceptance is not likely to work its miracle
in our life if it is seen or felt as force.
Mary’s acceptance opens the way, not only to
fulfill God’s plan for the world, but also for Mary’s life, but her first
response was not acceptance. It was hesitancy, wondering, even doubt.
Acceptance needs to be freely chosen and is seldom chosen at first. It is
almost a sign of our freedom that we wrestle with and resist the decision we
need to make. When someone is so full of assurance that they rule out the
possibility of doubt and discussion, almost instinctively we suspect that there
is something false here. Likewise, we recognize truth in those who have come to
the point of acceptance through the difficulties and doubt. Mary’s experience
of the angel’s announcement is powerful, but not overpowering. She was awed,
but not overcome. God does not do that. God speaks to us in the particular,
personal way we need to hear, in the way that respects our freedom even as it
challenges us to choose.
Acceptance in all its beauty and glory and grace is
seen in Mary and in her response to the angel. Let it be to me according to
your word, even though your word changes the dream I had for my life. The gift
of acceptance fills us with gratitude and overflows in celebration and service.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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