Focusing on Our Favor

Focusing on Our Favor

Luke 1:26-38

Mary was still trembling from the encounter.  It almost felt like a dream, “...And maybe it was,” she thought to herself before shaking the idea away.  No, this hadn’t been a dream.  It was too vivid.  It was too real.  In fact, she had never felt so alert and focused in all her life.  This was not a dream; it was a miracle.

Mary had been alone in the house when the light first appeared.  It was a soft light that changed the atmosphere of the room, but it wasn’t the light that startled Mary, it was the face of the man inside of it.  The light radiated from his face, and illuminated the most handsome features she had ever seen.  She was about to worship him, but was interrupted by his voice. 

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The instant the man’s words entered her head; a million questions arose and paralyzed her.  “Why is he here,” “What have I done,”  “Is he claiming to be the Lord,” “What does he want,” “Will he hurt me?”

As the questions raced through Mary’s mind, fear and doubt beginning to fill her.  Mary liked the stable routines of life, and had never been good with change or adventure.  She was a faithful daughter, and content with her place in life.  New experiences opened up the possibility of pain and failure, and Mary didn’t want to take that risk. 

The look on her face must have revealed Mary’s concern, because at that moment the man in the light said, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Mary felt a surge of joy once she heard that she would have a baby boy.  She was currently engaged to a well-respected man named Joseph, and ever since their engagement, Mary imagined what it would be like to have a family of her own.  Her daydreams often brought her back to the games she played with the other girls in town; each pretending to have a baby of their own.  Mary loved pretending she was a mom, and just like all the other girls in the town, secretly feared she would end up like Josephine. 

Josephine was an older woman from town who had been divorced twice due to her inability to conceive a child.  The first husband quietly kicked her out and married another woman, but the second husband brought her before the town elders and claimed that she was a sinner cursed by Yahweh.  If it wasn’t for her older brother bringing her into his house, Josephine would have become a prostitute.  Even as a little girl, Mary could see how much shame and loneliness Josephine carried, and prayed that she would never experience the same disappointment.

But upon hearing the angel’s promise, Mary realized that she would never share Josephine’s fate.  Unlike Josephine, Mary would have a son.  Even more amazing, he was going to be a great king! 

“I can’t wait to give Joseph the good news,” Mary thought, “God has promised that our son will be the nation’s hero!” 

Mary was so full of joy that she was just about to fall her knees in worship before a sinister voice whispered into her ear, “Why didn’t he mention Joseph, Mary?”

Mary’s body shivered as she heard the voice, and she felt nauseous as she considered the question.

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

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. 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. For no word from God will ever fail.”

Even before the angel finished speaking, worry began to fill Mary’s mind.  The oxygen had left the room, and everything went black for a split second.  “What does this mean that the Holy Spirit would come on me and overshadow me?”  Mary thought.  “Who will believe that I saw an angel? Am I already pregnant?  What will Joseph say?” 

Mary was nauseous and felt a lump in her throat as she she tried to speak again. 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

As the angel left, the magnitude of the divine conversation overwhelmed her.  She fell to her knees and broke down in tears.  “I can’t be pregnant,” she thought, “I’ve never been with a man.  Joseph will never believe me.  He will think I’ve slept with another man.”  Mary began to hyperventilate as she realized that she would become just like Josephine: rejected by the community and alone in her darkness.  How could she raise a boy alone?  What would her father and mother say? 

Mary began to sob uncontrollably as she thought about her father’s reaction.  Mary loved and respected her father so much, but how could he believe her story?  How could he love her if Joseph breaks off their engagement?  Mary’s father had worked very hard to maintain a good reputation in the community, and would lose it all if he tried to support her.  What if Joseph and her father disbelieved her story, and decided to stone her for cheating on Joseph and bringing shame to the family?

As Mary lay on the ground and rocked herself back and forth, another voice whispered in her ear.  This voice was very different than the first, which had a slithering tone that sent a shiver down her neck.  This voice on the other hand, was calm and firm, like a seasoned general marching to meet his enemy.  The tone of the voice was both respectful and authoritative, and the words ripped through the noise in her head like a sword; creating a space of clarity.

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, for no word from God will ever fail.  Will you focus on your doubts, or will you focus on the fact that you have found favor with God?”

Thoughts to consider:

1. What are some situations you are currently facing that tempt you doubt God’s goodness in your life?  How are you responding to the temptation to doubt?

2. Is it more natural for you to focus on your blessings or your burdens?  Are their certain areas of life where it’s harder to be grateful such as in finances, relationships, work etc?

3. What are some things you can do (or stop doing) that will help you maintain a grateful and positive attitude about God activity in your life?
   

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