Sermons from St Faith's
Annuncication and Visitation
Brenda Cottarel (Reader
in training), 21st December, 2014
Come back with me if you will, back to the first
century to an unremarkable Town in Galilee called
Nazareth. Here lives an unremarkable teenager
called Mary. She is about 14 or 15 yrs old and is
betrothed to an unremarkable man
called Joseph, a carpenter. This is all very
unremarkable except…..
One day, whilst going about her business, going to
the well for water perhaps or rolling out bread,
Mary is confronted by an angel not just any old
angel but abriel himself, sent by God to speak to
Mary.
“Greetings favoured one! The Lord is with you” he
says. We are told by Luke in the first chapter of
his Gospel that Mary is perplexed. I
suggest she is utterly terrified, not an everyday
occurrence being visited by an angel.
Gabriel recognises this because he says, “don’t be
afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God,
you will become pregnant, have a son and call him
Jesus. He will be great and inherit the
throne of David and reign over Israel and His
kingdom will have no end. He will be called the
Son of the Most High.
Mary stunned by the whole thing asks, naturally
enough,
"how can that happen? I’m a virgin I have
not been with a man!"
Gabriel tells her “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you and the power of God will overshadow you which
means this child will be holy and will be called
the Son of God”. He then tells her that her
cousin, who is past child bearing age, is six months
pregnant and she was supposed to be barren,
infertile; therefore nothing is impossible with
God.
Mary doesn’t argue or even hesitate and replies
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be
with me according to your word. Mary
has said YES to God. The angel disappears.
Mary knows through her knowledge of the
scriptures, even if she couldn’t read, living in
such close proximity to her family and neighbours,
she will have heard boys reciting, learning the
scriptures by rote. She knows God loves her with
an infinite love and she loves and trusts Him, she
also is quite sure this baby will not be any
ordinary person.
A pregnant virgin! How is she going to explain
that to her family, friends, neighbours and
JOSEPH!
She
knows that if Elizabeth is facing an extraordinary
event herself, she will understand her predicament
and she will believe her. She doesn’t know that
Elizabeth is already aware of her condition:she
must go at once to visit her. Hurriedly she
leaves, doesn’t tell her family and walks, for she
has no transport, through the the hill country to
Judea which would have taken her about eight days.
There are some suggestions that she may have
joined a caravan for safety, I would have thought
that would bring its own problems. I started this
story by saying Mary was unremarkable - but was
she really? A 14 yr. old virgin visited by an
angel, told she was going to have a child and she
embarks on an eight day hike to see her elderly
cousin, no she is quite remarkable, and she said
YES to God. Here she is trudging through the hilly
country, not dressed in the fine blue edged with
gold, no, something much less fine and rougher,
more uncomfortable for a long and very hot walk,
probably coloured grey or brown which would absorb
more heat and scratch and chafe and if she did
join a caravan there would be flies and other
insects attracted by the camels and the noise they
make and the spitting if you went near them, but
she had youth on her side and what a tale to tell.
Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s house, she has hidden
herself away the last five months we’re told, and
she was an object of scorn and had been ashamed of
being barren. Her husband Zechariah was also
visited by an angel, at the synagogue where he was
a priest; the angel told him of Elizabeth’s
forthcoming pregnancy, he didn’t believe and was
struck dumb. Poor Elizabeth, getting pregnant in
later years and all that goes with it, anyone who
has been pregnant or been part of one will know
what I’m talking about - it’s Sunday and we are in
church we do not need to go into detail. Although,
I’m sure she is overjoyed at the prospect of
becoming a mum. Zechariah has been struck
dumb because he didn’t trust and believe, and him
a priest! But Elizabeth can’t have a talk with him
or a jolly good row blaming everything on him.
When she sees Mary walking up the street she is
really pleased to have some company, she’s always
been fond of Mary and they can chat about women’s
things and babies. Yes, this is what she needs: a
companion, a friend, we all need them at difficult
times. Mary enters the house and shouts "Shalom”.
Elizabeth’s baby leaps with joy and she is filled
with the Holy Spirit and cries out to Mary,
“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the
baby you’re carrying, but why am I so special that
the mother of my Lord should come to me”?
Elizabeth was six months pregnant and must have
already felt her child move. so this must have
felt very different. "As soon I heard your voice
this baby jumped for joy”, said Elizabeth. "You
are blessed because you believed what God said He
would do” Elizabeth knows Mary has had a visit
from Gabriel and is probably beginning to realize
that Mary could become the famous of all time –
she said YES to God.
How does Mary respond? She listens to Elizabeth,
considers it, and turns it right back to God. It
is not about her, she says. "My soul magnifies the
Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. He
has looked with favour on the lowliness of His
servant. From now on all generations will call me
blessed and Holy is His name."
In choosing Mary as the mother of His Son, God has
rewarded her and has exalted her, lifted her up.
She is praising God because He has noticed her.
Mary doesn’t mention herself again in the song.
Mary does know her scriptures, she knows God
always looks out for the sick, the poor, the
needy, the marginalised, those with humility,
those that love and honour him. He doesn’t go for
the rich and famous, the proud, the greedy, the
powerful. God chose Mary not because she was
remarkable, so why? Not because she was
great but because God loved her and Mary loved and
trusted God. Here am I the servant of the Lord let
it be with me according to your word."
Mary said a resounding YES to God. Do we believe,
love and trust in God enough to say God, here am I
your servant? Amen.
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