Daily Lesson for December 13, 2019

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Luke chapter 1 verses 26 through 38:

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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 conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants 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 on 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. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

In ancient Christian theology, Mary was called the “theotokos” — Greek for the “the God bearer”. Mary said yes to the angel’s message and so she bore God into the world.

We are all in a sense “theotokoi” — God bearers. Some messenger — whether angelic or human or simply the stirrings within our own soul — speaks to us and then suddenly we find our lives and bodies have been given  to some call or mission or job which brings forth God into the world.

We say with Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” And then suddenly we find ourselves pregnant and readying to give birth to God and the things of God in this world.

Conception is our stunned and fearful, yet also joyous, “Yes.” Gestation is our growth in and by the spirit.  The womb is our own soul. And the birth is our Godly gift to the world.

And, so we say, “Let this little child come in . . .”