26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Have you had a so-called Impossible Burger? Clearly, not impossible. Personally, I like them (and Beyond Burgers), but that’s irrelevant. What’s relevant is that Mary hears about something that seems impossible – a miracle beyond comprehension. And it is of course much more consequential than a meatless burger patty. Yet being unfathomable, it confounds her.
Mary was understandably terrified or at least confused. As are most Biblical figures when an angel, a messenger from the Most High, appears to them. She was simply going along her merry way, yet it wasn’t a merry Christmas this stranger spoke to her. “You are highly favored,” and “The Lord is with you.” Did the messenger speak in a booming voice? We aren’t told, only that Mary was greatly troubled by the words.
Gabriel continued to elaborate in a way that was even more bewildering. She had found favor with God and would be mother to the long-awaited messiah to the Hebrew people! She didn’t even know she was up for the role! So Mary asked a completely understandable question “How can this be?,” basically, “By what method is this to occur?”
Recently, I decided to take John 3:8 as a life verse to inspire and challenge me in my faith and life journey. Jesus answers Nicodemus about being born again, (paraphrasing) “The Spirit moves where she may and mysteriously, like the wind.” This was essentially the answer Mary received. “Don’t worry about the details. Won’t God do it?” Gabriel also invokes the Holy Spirit in this marvelous birth. Ultimately, that’s the answer to Mary’s question. God can and will do what seems impossible.
Is anything impossible for the Creator and Sustainer of the universe? A good reminder to us all that there are actions and world events beyond our comprehension, yet also One above it all whom we can trust has it all figured out. May we respond like Mary, “Lord, I am Your servant. I trust You to do what You say You’ll do.”
