Advent
December 24, 2017
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38
Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 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. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 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. –Luke 1:34-38
Mary mirrors most of us in her response to the angel’s message. Our assignments may differ markedly, but her response is most likely similar to ours: How can this be since I am so young, so old, so tongue-tied like Moses, or not a trained soldier like Gideon called to lead an army? Do we have the courage to say Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word?
Each of us and all of us, created with unique skills and talents, are needed for God’s Kingdom coming to fruition. I worked at a large city teaching hospital some time ago where highly skilled surgeons performed many surgeries each day. The success of their work was dependent on the dedication of the crews that cleaned the operating theaters before and after each procedure to assure a safe and sterile environment. All members of any team must be fully committed to their duties as all other members are. All members of any team also must be willing to stretch their skills and talents when working for excellence in outcomes.
There is nothing more vital in our world today than moving toward a Kingdom ruled by love. When we are the one expected to take a courageous role in building that Kingdom, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will be with us each step of the way. When we are called to clear the way for the courageous work the Spirit is with us also.
Prayer: Lord, lead me to do your work whatever you are calling me to do. Help me accept the Spirits guidance in all that I do. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.