Daily Lesson for December 23, 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 yesterday’s sermon I reflected on the Annunciation and its relation to women in ministry. The story, I tried to say, is quite clear that there are certain things conceived in women which men cannot claim to have put there nor should they prohibit.

The Annunciation is the good news the angel brings to Mary of the LORD’s intention to do something wonderful in and through her. “It is the gift of God,” as Paul says, “so that no man can boast.”

What God wishes to place in the wombs of our bodies, and minds, and spirits is gift. And if we say, “Yes,” it gestates and grows, first hidden in darkness, then later bursting to be born. Finally it breaks forth, born of water and spirit, still needing to be nurtured and fed and loved for the gift it is.

It comes naked, vulnerable, in dire need of protection. For Herod is out there somewhere. So too is somebody who will want to quench this tiny, flickering wick with words of scorn.

So we hold it. We swaddle it. We run with it all the way to Egypt if we have to. Because the angel said this is the Holy Spirit’s baby; and its ours to keep . . .