Luke
1:26-38
How
Can This Be?
“How can
this be?” This is Mary’s response to the
news the angel shares with her. “How can
this be?”
And what
the angel tells her is difficult to believe.
I mean – can you believe it? Do
you believe it? Do you live your life in
a way which bears witness to the news shared by the angel?
What the
angel tells Mary forever changes the way mere mortals understand themselves and
their role in the cosmos.
The angel
tells Mary that God – GOD – is leaving behind the heavens and taking on the
very flesh and blood which mortals too often seek to abandon.
The angel
tells Mary that God – GOD – is entangling Himself with the very creatures whom
He created and entrusting these creatures to carry to term His own life.
What the
angel tells Mary forever changes the way we understand ourselves and our role
in the cosmos.
How can
this be?
Some of
you have, no doubt, moved on to the second phrase uttered by Mary in verse 34. Ah, but here is where your drive for logical
explanations stands in the way of the reception of spiritual insight. Tradition reminds us that Mary is a virgin,
and too often (yes – I did say TOO OFTEN) we fixate on this and thus fail to
comprehend the true magnitude of what the angel tells Mary.
Put this
in perspective; and consider the magnitude of each. A virgin giving birth – and – God turning to
a human in order to accomplish His will.
Consider these two, and evaluate the magnitude of each.
I am as
aware of biology as any of you. But my
working knowledge of biology tends to diminish the magnitude of a biological
creature giving birth without the aid of another. I know that I trust news sources that are not
trusted by some of you. Is the BBC on
that list? The BBC has an article – on
line – titled “Spectacular real virgin births.”
Read it if you wish.
Maybe I
am more aware that some of you, of the magnitude of the other statement I have
asked you to ponder. A virgin giving
birth is one thing; but God entrusting his fate to a human carrier is the truly
astounding storyline of the angel’s announcement.
Think of
all the places that this plan of God’s could have gone wrong. In the account of the story told by Matthew,
Joseph considers putting Mary away, quietly.
“Quietly”!!!! There was no way to
quietly put away a young woman who was found to be with child outside of
wedlock. Maybe some of you have lived in
big cities where such a thing could happen, but not in a small village of a
couple hundred or possibly a thousand.
Think of how well things are kept “quiet” in this little town.
The best
Joseph could do was to return Mary to the home of her father where, if folks
didn’t get all riled up, she could bear her child and live her life under the
protection of her daddy. Under her
daddy’s protection, till he died. Then. Who knows.
What Joseph was willing to do was to ignore Mary’s pregnancy and not
expose her to the appropriate recourse of the day – death by stoning.
How
Joseph responds to the news shared by the angel is only one step in the
process. And see how terribly wrong it
could have gone? What about crib
death? Or infant malnutrition? Or measles, whooping cough, or a thousand
other diseases to which Mary and Joseph might unknowingly allow this child to
be exposed?
Am I
beginning to impress upon you the magnitude of the news the angel shares with
Mary? Mary, a fragile, simple, humble,
impoverished human being is given the opportunity (she might have felt it was
the responsibility) of carrying into the world the very presence and being of
God.
Let me
say that again: Mary, an unknown, nobody
from the far reaches of the civilized world is being pulled into partnership
with God to forever change and transform the way the world will see itself – as
well as the way the world will perceive of God.
Forget
the virgin birth. This other part of the
announcement is what is amazing.
Have I
swayed you? Are you beginning to see
this perspective? Cause I’ve got one
more thing to say – and it really is the point I want to make out of all of
this.
Ready?
Placing
the emphasis on a virgin birth allows us to escape the impact of the angel’s
announcement. “How can this be? For I am a virgin.” Distracts us and allows
us to hear the announcement as one meant for Mary and Mary alone. Placing the emphasis on a virgin birth allows
us to exit ourselves from the story and fail to comprehend the way in which God
is entrusting us with carrying to term his purpose and his gift to the world.
“How can
this be?” is our reaction practically
any time it dawns on us that God’s work is dependent on our hands.
“How can
this be?” is our attempt to dismiss or diminish the significance of how we are
called to live our lives in the aftermath of the angel’s announcement.
“How can
this be?” that God would turn to us and
depend upon us to ward off the dangers and perils which threaten His life?
“How can
this be?”
The
Christmas story forever changes the way we see God and our role in the
world. The angels serve to tell us what
God intends and to announce what God hopes from us. But the angels were not sent, into this world
of pain, to do in Jesus’ name, the do the work that was left for you and me to
do.
I do not
want to suggest that virgin births happen every day. They are rare enough that even the BBC has to
do searching for spectacular occurrences.
Unfortunately, another aspect of the angel’s words do not happen every
day, either. We do not respond like
Mary.
The God
which Christianity seeks to reveal has made it clear, on a clear night in
Bethlehem. If the world is going to
change, it will change because of those whom God has visited and asked to bear
His word. If God’s will is to be done,
it will need to be done by the Mary and Joseph’s who are shown how to be kind
and caring and humble and serving. And
then live lives consistent with what has been revealed to them.
How can
this be?
I don’t
know.
I only
know that it is.
Amen.