From the Daily Lectionary for Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
The Feast of the Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 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. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The 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. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then 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.
“But Mary was perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.”… ya think!? Western Christianity has tended to make this fantastic story a singular event peculiar to the Christian faith. But, in truth, mortals, in the annals of Greek Mythology, as well as in the lore of other cultures around the world, have often given birth to children of the gods. This story of course is not literal history, but that is not to say that it isn’t “true.” So I want us to think of this story mythologically, that is to say, what does this story teach us about the mystery of our faith, and more broadly, what truth deep within the human collective soul is being expressed here?
We can only speculate as to the mystery, so I offer this reflection: Fast forward some 450 years to the Church council of Chalcedon in Asia Minor in the year 451 C.E. Christianity was now the official religion of the empire, had been for over a century. The church fathers made a stunning proclamation at this council. They declared Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Theotokos, which in Greek means God Bearer… the tradition has also referred to Mary as the mother of God. It seems so very unlikely such a proclamation would be made in a decidedly patriarchal world. And this is a theological far cry from the endearing story of a frightened pregnant teenage girl surely overwhelmed by such a scandal. But myths are that way. They take on universal meaning, though their roots are in the mundane particular, often amid scandal. So what does it mean to be “God Bearer?”
We, brothers and sisters, carry God’s life in our bodies and souls for the world’s sake. And being in the line of David and his successors, we take on the calamity of the world. The biblical history of the monarchy of Israel is a testimony to standing in the integrity of God in spite of the world’s ruin. It is a profound responsibility, but in our lives of faith, in the prayers, and the fellowship, in our learning, in the breaking of bread, we have been formed for such a responsibility. We are Theotokos, mothers all, who bear both God’s suffering and the new life that comes as surely as the dawn. As people of the Way, courage is our willing ally. So, good people, choose courage for the way ahead… To God’s life for the world let us in chorus join with our sister Mary and say…. “Let it be.”
A Prayer after Communion (from Prayers for an Inclusive Church)
Lord of the feast beyond measure and price: We thank you for meeting us in our brokenness so that none may be lost. Liberate us now to share bread with our neighbor, each receiving from the other what we need to be ourselves. Amen.
