“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30b – 33
When I read the annunciation story, found in Luke 1:26 – 38, and I get to the part where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to let her know she will have a baby, I am amazed at her simple yet faith-filled response: “I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38) She is a teenaged girl. She is betrothed to be married but not married yet. She is going about her ordinary life and then God throws her a curve ball and she is thrust into the extraordinary. She is open to what comes next even though she knows her life will not be easy because of what comes next.
We live in a time of unrest and uncertainty. We are stressed as we deal with rising prices, raising children, caring for parents, working, and the bad news that is relentlessly reported throughout the day. I am reminded of the lyrics to the song “O Little Town,” by Over the Rhine, a band out of Cincinnati, Ohio. “The lamplit streets of Bethlehem we walk now through the night, there is no peace in Bethlehem, there is no peace in sight. The wounds of generations almost too deep to heal, scar the timeworn miracle and make it seem surreal.”
And there probably was not peace in Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. A census had been called and the people were not happy about it. The potential for riots to break out was high. There was a feeling of unease, and it was into this night that the gift of peace was born. He will be called Emmanuel, the Prince of Peace. On this second week of Advent, in this season of slowing down, waiting, and finding time to just be still, we find that when we do what this season asks of us, our faith will be deepened.
And so, in our own hectic lives, at this very hectic time of year when we are busier than usual, may God’s gift of peace be with you. May you find ways to sit back and just enjoy your friends and family. May you find ways to let the stress of all the extras roll away from you and may peace be with you.
Peace,
Pastor Beth
If you would like to listen to the song by Over the Rhine, you can find it here:
Beth's Blog 