I said last week that what God was doing at that first Christmas was way bigger than what our individual Christmas focus usually is. The Co-Creator of the whole wide world, of which any one of us is but a tiny tiny part, was entering in the world as "the true light". That's stuff happening at a level that we can't really reach. And yet, it was about that cosmic, way beyond our capacity to initiate an encounter, choosing to encounter--to take on the reality of being human. And the cosmic can only meet the human, with full embracing of being human, by coming into the world AS a human. A particular, specific, human. And in the way that all humans enter the world--which means being born. Which means being carried in a womb. and that can only happen by being in the womb of one, particular, specific woman. And the woman who is chosen isn't who any of us might choose, if we were God doing this thing.
We've got to keep in mind that though Israel was God's chosen people, according to their Scriptures (our Old Testament), Israel had no standing in the world at that time, and hadn't even been an independent nation for nearly three times as long as the United States has even existed as an independent nation. Israel last were its own sovereign nation nearly 600 years earlier, when Babylon not only conquered them, but took many of them away into exile. Matthew and Luke both provide genealogies, which are different; but both go back to King David. The lineage in Luke 3 goes through one of David's sons who didn't become king, and none of those descendents did either, so the last ancestor who was king was David nearly 1000 years earlier. In Matthew 1, the last king in that lineage was when Babylon carried them into exile (the last time they had their own king) nearly 600 years earlier. It's like one of us discovering we are descended from George Washington, which is nice to know, but doesn't do anything for our standing in society. And George Washington died 221 years ago--the last actual kings in these two lineages go back nearly three times longer, and five times longer, than George.
So this heritage may have been a source of pride, but not a source that provided any power or influence. And so Mary was an unlikely participant in this scheme that God had, to be where the cosmic met the human. A woman without power, influence, or standing, in a nation without power, influence, or standing. This is how God is going to transform the world?
Despite our tendency to be all wrapped up in our own importance and see ourselves as the center of the universe, last Sunday's Scripture reminded us that we're not. But this Scripture reminds us that even those of us who aren't "big" in the eyes of the world are still important--perhaps even crucial--to God.
GOSPEL Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 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. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ 34 Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 35 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. 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 38 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