This is the Unfinished Community Advent Devotional for the Second Week of Advent, 2024
Week 2—Luke 1:26-38
Gabriel visits Mary, who responds with faith and questions
When we hear the story of the angel appearing to Mary, we often live in the humble submission of verse 38, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary’s willingness to not only accede to, not only to go along with, but to actively embrace the impossible mission being set before her by the angel of the Lord is something that we all aspire to as servants of God; so much so that we often jump right to that verse, and completely forget the rest of the passage along the way!
Our culture loves to tell us that doubt is a sin, and that questioning the Lord is a sign that perhaps we aren’t as committed to the faith as we should be. We treat our questions dirty little secrets, things that we pretend we never have, telling ourselves that if we were truly the committed servants that we want to be, that we claim to be, then we wouldn’t have any doubts at all. If we were truly committed to the Lord, we would like Mary - with receptivity and humility abounding – simply accept the truth and uncritically roll with it.
But...astute readers of the scripture may note, that Mary does no such thing herself!
Mary’s first reaction to the appearance of the angel Gabriel is to look them in the face and ask, “How’s that gonna work?” And at no point does Gabriel criticize her for her question, or condemn her faith, or in any way assess her negatively because she had the unmitigated gall to bluntly question the representative of Almighty God. Her questions are never seen as a mark against her righteousness, never once viewed as a diminishment of her historic humility. In this moment she demonstrates that it is totally possible to be committed, devoted, and humbly in service to the Lord while asking questions.
Inquiry is not unrighteous, and asking questions doesn’t make us unfaithful.
After all, if it was good enough for Mary, it’s good enough for us!
Prayer
God who defies all explanation, we ask that you continue to inspire our hearts with questions abounding. Help us to respond to the unknowable with a desire to know, to the fearful with a desire to understand, and to the impossible with a desire to see the fullness of all your wonderful possibilities. Acquaint us with the unusual Lord, and open our hearts to an infinite universe of possibilities, and show us the one thread that binds them all together; your unfailing and perfect love.
In Christ’s infinitely confusing and infinitely wonderful name we pray, Amen.
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