advent: a simple "Yes!"

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

And the angel answered 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 called holy— the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

— Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)

Our second reading for Advent. This time we read it with friends who we are sharing the next three Sundays of Advent with.

It is particularly special to reflect on how we each have a choice, like Mary, to respond to God's plan and Savior. Mary could not have possibly known all that saying "Yes!" would entail. She was, however, convinced of God's worthiness to do with her life what he pleased. This is certainly one of the reasons Mary has been so revered by Christian tradition.

I encourage you to reflect on when you first said "Yes!" to Jesus. Do you remember your fears? Your questions? Your assurance of God's goodness?

Or, consider saying "Yes!" to Jesus and his plan for the first time. It's okay to be unsure. It's okay to have questions. Are you convinced of your need, his worthiness and ability to meet your need?