Don’t you hate it when God interrupts your life?
You know, things are going quite nicely. Life is good. Things are happening. You have a plan. You have no need for interruptions.
Spare a thought for Mary: “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27).
Mary. A young Jewish girl from a provincial backwater called Nazareth. Where people got on with their lives. She’d been promised in marriage to Joseph. She was waiting for that time. She had a plan. She knew where her life was going.
“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:28-33).
You know when an angel turns up your life is about to change.
Mary’s response?
“A child. Well, that was on the cards at some point, but not for a while …I’m not even married. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t even had…err…sex yet. A son. Jesus. That wasn’t actually on my shortlist of names. I wanted something a little more unusual.
Son of the Most High. I was thinking son of Joseph.
Throne. Reigning. Kingdom. Don’t you think that’s a bit out of reach for the child of a carpenter?”
Interruptions are so…
…inconvenient?
In the course of a short conversation that maybe lasted five minutes, Mary’s life was turned on its head.
But what does she say? Does she go through the list of why this would be an inconvenience to her? Does she immediately start to think of excuses?
No.
“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 2:38).
Oh, if that would be our response! “God. May it be to me as you say. I’ll do it. I’ll go there. I am yours”.