Advent 8

"How can I be sure of this?" doesn't sound that much different from "How will this be?"  And yet.  And yet they are apparently different enough that one lands poor Zechariah in time out and the other gets Mary a "Good girl, all will be well."  I guess that really it's Gabriel who appears to be the fickle one - to Zechariah he says, "I AM GABRIEL. I SAID SO."  Maybe he was predisposed to dislike the guy as opposed to Mary who was already highly favoured before Gabriel even shows up.  Regardless, I think I will practice my "How will this be?" instead of carrying on with my "How can I be sure?"

I like how a little bit of diligence and sticking it out always proves useful when hanging out with the Word.  I can't think of a time a little lingering hasn't brought some Peace and Rest back to where Unruly Despair was threatening to move in.

Jesus is coming and once I can become a "How will these be" person, I intend to then start practicing being a "May it be to me as you have said" person.

Oh Advent.  Loving this.


Luke 1: 26 - 38

²⁶ In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³² 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, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ 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^[c] the Son of God. ³⁶ 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. ³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.”
³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.