Advent I: Mary's Story

God communicates with us in many different ways. One of the most special ways is through story. We tell stories to people with whom we desire a relationship, and God's word is filled with them. The stories are true, of course, but they are still narratives and not fact sheets. As with everything else in creation, stories have structure. By looking at the different parts, we can learn more about the whole.

Mary's Story

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

       When we are first introduced to Mary, she's a young woman engaged to a man named Joseph. Her Ordinary World is a simple, traditional one. She's from Nazareth, a lonely, backwater, hick town. She's a "good" girl. She's preparing for a wedding, probably arranged by her father. The life she was living and preparing for was simple and traditional, ordinary. Then something extraordinary happened.

       In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will have no end."

       As far as Calls to Adventure go, an angel showing up at your front door is about as big as they come. Gabriel arrives with a message from God that will turn Mary's entire life inside out. When God calls us to anything it's life-altering to some degree. But aren't we glad that most of us have never had that call delivered by an honest to goodness angel? Under the circumstances, Mary's reaction is perfectly natural.

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

       In other words, "I think you've got the wrong house. You can't mean me. I'm not even married yet, and I'm not sure I'm ready for a kid." The Refusal of the Call reminds us, the audience, that taking on this role comes at a cost. Having a child without being married today still earns some sideways glances. At that time it could ruin a young woman's life.

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy-- the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son... For nothing will be impossible with God"

And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

        If God could provide a child to a infertile old woman, and another child to a virgin, he could provide for all of Mary's needs. She accepts the call. And the first thing she does is visit Elizabeth and her husband, a priest named Zechariah. As soon as Mary walks in the door, Elizabeth and her unborn baby know what Mary has done.

"For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

       The role of the Mentor is to provide information and supplies to the Hero. Perhaps all Mary needed was reassurance that yes, she was pregnant with prophesied Messiah. And yes, she had done the right thing by accepting God's call. Often what people need most from us is encouragement. Not advice or constructive criticism. Just encouragement. Mary must have been terrified. But here was an older family member, the wife of a priest, calling her blessed. What a relief that must have been.
        But Mary still has another threshold to cross. She still has to have the baby. And as it is with anything worthwhile, it won't come easily. To fulfill the scriptures, the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem, and Mary's baby was coming soon. For Mary and Joseph, there was a more immediate reason for them to go: government order.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.... And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

       Even though I have no children of my own, I've seen how life changing it is when the baby finally arrives. From this moment on, Mary's Ordinary World is long gone. The established Ordinary World of her entire religious system is about to dramatically change. Prophecy is coming to fruition, and she is closer to it than anyone else. Did Mary have any idea how much pain she would have to endure? Or any idea of the miracles she would see her little boy perform? All we know for certain, is that after the shepherds left and real life started to settle in...

Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.