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ISSN 2195-3171

Advent 4, 12/21/2008

Sermon on Luke 1:26-38, by David Zersen

Annunciation by He Qui

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "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,

David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

A WORD TO MOTHERS AND OTHERS

There have been times when I have felt that a woman should be preaching a sermon-and I hope that some are preaching on this text. It is a text about the surprising things that women could be told about their soon to be born child, were such things even possible, and the impact that such information might have on a mother.

I find it fascinating that a list of Annunciation pictures painted by artists over the centuries totals at least one hundred and thirty (www.textweek.com). Of course, there are stock treatments of religious paintings that, in certain centuries, any artist worth his paint had to take a brush to. Yet the question remains, "Who made the list of the works to be included and why was the Annunciation considered important?" Also, interesting to me is the fact that as Christianity spread, even into our own century, artists have continued to think that the Annunciation is an important story to be told. A good example of this is the work of contemporary relatively young Chinese artist He Qui, who in stunning color treatment, pictures Mary listening quietly to a messenger talking about astonishing things (pictured above).

What have the artists found interesting in this story? This is a subject for intense study and we will have to make some intelligent guesses at it today. There is surely the astonishing matter of something rather amazing: A king whose kingdom will never end is to be born of an insignificant woman in the middle of nowhere. Another is the commonplace response of the mother-to-be: "Just let it happen." What strikes me, however, is the awareness on the part of the mother that a highly unlikely thing like information about a life is being given before a birth takes place.

Down through the centuries the mystery of what a child shall be like is a subject for poets, soothsayers and witches. In primitive times, people assumed that there was such a thing as bad blood and that unfortunately a child might be destined for a life on the dark side. Even in our own time, however, genetic studies can be done to determine the likelihood for problematic prospects to emerge in a child about to be born.

What would it be like for a mother (and lets add fathers, extended families, friends and significant others) to know something about a child before he/she is born? Would this be useful? Frightening? Comforting?

Taking Life as it comes

Mothers well know that such information is not possible and therefore different sorts of planning take place. Parents will love the child as he or she is. They will do their best to prepare them for all the challenges they will face. They will use discipline when needed, and wise counsel when appropriate. In short, facing the unknown, you will do what parents have always done, try to love a child into its future, hoping that your failures are covered by God's and your own forgiveness and that your successes will surpass the failures.

Those are of course generalities. Within such cursory reflection are those moments when you're trying to fall asleep or when you're washing the dishes or when you're washing the car... moments which allow you to ask, ‘How am I going to go about this? What can I say to help him/her understand? Why are they acting this way and is it something I'm doing? How can I get back to where we were before all this tension developed?"

There is nothing more frightening and exciting than taking a child into your arms at birth, knowing absolutely nothing about how this will turn out 20 years hence. You can start a business venture without knowing where it will lead. You can design a workout program for yourself without knowing what it may accomplish. You can fashion a piece of equipment in the hope that it will work as intended and bring you wealth and fame.

All of that is different from nurturing a child into development. And the difference is that you will love the child with all your heart as you encourage and discipline him/her. You will pour out your heart in the nurturing process in ways that are impossible in working with things that are just things. And this love is unique to parenting.

What remarkably brave souls you mothers (and fathers) are! You take into your hands an opportunity, a possibility, and a future. You have no idea how this journey will end. Somehow, deep within you, there is this confidence, this hope, that love and common sense will overcome all obstacles. You can read books and talk to counselors. You can take courses and talk to friends. In the end, you are on your own with a child whose future for good or for evil is in your hands.

Sometimes potential parents refrain from adopting children because they're afraid that too many unknowns are offered in the child-shaped package. What were his/her parents like? Were they drug users? What is their IQ? Is there a history of disease? Yet the fact is, when we look at a child, be we biological or adoptive parents, we know less about the child's potential, character, and gifts than we would like to know. We simply accept and take life as it comes. And knowing the love with which we have been loved, we venture into the unknown. In our own way, we are a brave and courageous lot.

Knowing what life will be like

Mary was in a totally different situation. This was the astonishing thing and this is why, I believe, so many artists chose to capture her in their Annunciation paintings. She was told incomprehensible things-- that her child would be great, that he would be a ruler whose kingdom would last forever. And later she would learn from Simeon that the child would be involved in the fall and rising of many in Israel, and that a sword would pierce her own heart as a result of it (Luke 2: 34-35). To all of this Mary simply replies "Let it happen."

The artist's challenge is to capture this special kind of bravery. In our case, childbirth has to do with accepting what we don't know. In Mary's case, it was a matter of accepting what she knew and still going ahead with it. If I were the artist here, I would try to convey a type of pensiveness. As St.. Paul said in his own situation, it was a matter of being overwhelmed yet never defeated. As the Evangelist put it when Jesus went up to Jerusalem, Jesus set his face like flint considering what was before him. Mary is a remarkable example for mothers and parents in general. She accepted what she could not alter. She came to terms with what would happen to her son.

We know the rest of the story. We don't know much about Jesus childhood, but when he became a man, he entered his preaching ministry. Although the common people heard him gladly as he told them about God's love for them, the leaders of the people became concerned that their leadership was being challenged and that the love and mercy of God was being emphasized more than the rituals and rules which they tried to enforce. Finally the leadership decided it was necessary to challenge Jesus' authority and take him out, as we might say today. Ultimately, they called for his punishment and death, just to get rid of him. For Mary, even though she knew this was coming, it must have been unbearable.

However, what Mary could never have understood, and we too find it difficult to understand, God rejected the crucifixion of a life like the life of Jesus. He called it back to life. He said in a voice loud enough to rend the tombs of the entire world, "This is a life that will live forever." Mary knew about the kingdom that would live forever, but now she came to understand that it came only through a cross and an empty tomb. She came to know that life that lasts comes from a trust in the God who can destroy death and offer everlasting life in the person of her son, Jesus. Mary trusted God and God give her life in her own son.

There is no way that an artist can convey what Mary fully thought as she came to understand what it would be to be the mother of a son like Jesus. She bore a burden in her motherhood unlike any borne by mothers before or since. She understands the fate of her child and yet loved and guided him as he grew to manhood. She plays no salvific role in the story of salvation and we want this to be clear to those who would give her such significance. Yet she shows us a side of motherhood which is patient and accepting, loving and responsible, in the face of great sadness and pain.

Both situations, that of the mother knowing her child's fate, and that of the mother who knows nothing of her child's future, require courage and bravery. In the light of today's story, it's interesting to reflect on what it would be like to know a child's future and how that might impact our feelings and the way we raise it. It's interesting to ask ourselves which possibility we would prefer. Such thoughts are mere interesting speculation, however.

What we do know is that only one women has been called to endure the courage involved in raising a son knowing the fate that would befall him. We admire, respect, love and adore her for this. However, we also know what it takes to raise a child, knowing nothing about his/her future. Mothers and fathers (and let us name grandparents and teachers and counselors and coaches here) can be frightened at the prospects of such uncertainty. We are, however, empowered by the love Mary's son and our Savior demonstrated at the cross and celebrated in his resurrection. We know God's love and his promise of life that lasts forever. We can therefore face with confidence the future as we nurture and love the children who are placed in our care because we trust that all things work together for good to those who love God. With Mary we know we are in God's hands and we can place our children in those same hands. With Mary, we can let the artists paint our countenance. We are at peace. And there is an intriguing smile on our faces.