Preacher: Revd Dr Joe Mottram
Date: 05/01/2021
What does it mean to be Blessed?
4th Sunday in Advent
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-11,16; Romans 16:25-end; Luke 1:26-38
Opening Prayer:
May the Holy Spirit give us ears to hear God’s personal message to each one of us today, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Introduction
Today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke is probably one of the most familiar scenes of the whole gospel, perhaps even the whole New Testament. Between nativity plays, Christingle, and nine lessons and carols, it’s hard sometimes not to hear versions of it several times each year. Unfortunately, that familiarity can make us stop actually hearing something fresh. Our minds drift into autopilot and we assume we know what’s going on. As a result, we may miss what the Holy Spirit is saying to us through God’s living word in this time, this place.
Link to passage
Before we dive into the passage, let me give you the central question I would like us to explore this morning: What does it mean to be Blessed and favoured by God?
This is another subject where our brains might stay on autopilot, that we assume that it’s all about prosperity and an easy life.
So let’s try to switch off that automatic reaction by having a closer, careful look at the passage as we start to unpack this question.
Unpacking the passage
Our Gospel reading starts with a bit of narrative scene-setting, anchoring what is to come with the when, where and who which seems to zoom in from the general to the specific as if following the Angel Gabriel to Mary’s home.
We are six months after the previous scene in which Gabriel visited Zechariah to announce that he and his wife Elizabeth, despite their age, will have a son who will become John the Baptist. Indeed, there are parallels between Gabriel’s visits to Zechariah and Mary, and also the Angel’s message to the Shepherds in chapter 2. This is scene is not to be read in isolation from the surrounding narrative, but that’s another sermon for another day.
That Angel Gabriel has been sent by God to a virgin engaged to Joseph of the house of David. Her name is Mary.
Betrothal was a big deal in Jewish culture of the time. The marriage would have been arranged with the bride’s father, and the bride would live at home for a year until the groom came to take the bride to his home. The wedding celebration then lasted a whole week, a big community event. Once a couple were betrothed then the marriage was sealed and if Joseph had died before the wedding, Mary would still have been considered his widow.
Gabriel’s opening greeting to Mary, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you’’ has echoes of the words of Hannah when she prayed for a son. God heard her cry and blessed her with a boy she named Samuel, the prophet who anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel.
Mary’s response to Gabriel’s greeting is not the fear of Zechariah or the Shepherds. Instead, she is perplexed and ponders what the greeting and visit from an Angel means. Some commentators suggest that Mary is worried about the tale of Tobit from the apocrypha, where a jealous demon repeatedly prevents the beautiful Sarah from getting marred by appearing each wedding night and killing the bridegrooms.
Gabriel tells Mary not to be afraid, and that she will conceive a son, Jesus, who will be the Son of the Most High and sit as king on the throne of David.
This is another place where we perhaps struggle to capture the enormity of the situation. This is an extremely dangerous situation for Mary. Adultery was punishable by death. Even if that punishment wasn’t enforced, she would have faced social exclusion, condemning her to a life on the margins without support. If anything, then, Gabriel’s announcement gives Mary more to be fearful about, not less. There is much more at stake for her personally than either the Shepherds or Zechariah, yet her response is calm and thoughtful.
Mary’s question is not how she’ll be ok or why this is happening to her, but instead about how it is possible. Quite a loaded question in a society familiar with Greek tales of gods tricking and seducing women. It also contrasts with Zechariah’s question to Gabriel earlier in Luke chapter 1 in response to the news that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son – ‘‘How will I know that this is true.’’ – which leads to him being chided for his lack of faith and ending up unable to speak until John the Baptist is born. Just as Jesus is greater than John, so Mary is held up as a better example than Zechariah in responding to a message from God.
Gabriel explains that she will conceive through the Holy Spirit, and then reveals that Elizabeth, Mary’s relative who was said to be barren, is expecting and already six-months pregnant. The urgency with which Mary sets off to visit Elizabeth suggest that Mary wasn’t aware of her relative’s pregnancy. As Gabriel says, ‘‘Nothing is impossible with God”.
Mary then freely and graciously accepts God’s will, consenting to become part of God’s plan with words that again echo Hannah. A new story of kingship is beginning.
What does it mean to be Blessed?
What does it mean to be Blessed? Given all we know about the role of parents, particularly mothers, in influencing the way that children develop, think and act, what God does with Mary is almost inconceivable. God trusts Mary with the upbringing, the nurturing, teaching, molding, of his Son, the future King and savior of Israel. She is singled out for a unique and critical role in everything that is to come – certainly she is blessed and highly favoured.
However, this also comes at an enormous cost for Mary. Normally, when we talk about someone being blessed, we are expecting something tangible, physical. It might be an expectation of a happy and prosperous life, but Mary doesn’t get any of that. Far from it.
She has a child out of wedlock, which puts her in a precarious position within her community and potentially with her fiancé. Then her first-born son, the one who should look after her, becomes a wandering preacher rather than looking after his widowed mother financially. What is worse, she then has to watch as he is hounded, wrongly condemned, and tortured, culminating in his painful and public executed as a criminal.
All in all, Gabriel’s announcement probably disrupted most of the life plans and goals that Mary had. Not exactly what one might think when being told that you are the favoured one of God.
However, she was favoured. Through her informed consent and willing obedience, she was favoured to bear and raise the saviour of Israel, the long-expected Messiah and king, despite no royal claim or birthright, no training or inherited tradition. She was favoured to partner with God, to be in fellowship with him in a way previously reserved for leaders, prophets, and kings. She was drawn into fellowship with God and given a unique place in the heavenly plan. Blessed by God in being consecrated for a holy task.
What does this mean for us?
So as we look towards Christmas with all it’s expectation and the focus in society on presents, perhaps we need to re-evaluate once again what we are seeking when we ask for God’s blessing. It’s not about material wealth, promotions at work, or social standing. It’s about being blessed with his presence, partnering in something new which brings the Kingdom of God closer.
However, we also need to be careful that we understand what this might cost too. It may need us to give up some of our expectations. We may be asked to give up our plans, our security.
However, if we respond faithfully to God’s call, both as individuals and as a church then we too can become partners with God, central in transforming the world around us to bring light into the world.