Day 25
Wednesday, December 21
Raymond Kam
It is not in the normal course of experience that an angel appears and predicts something that had never happened before: a virgin birth. In our retelling of the events of Christmas, this is a magical, wonderful part of the story. But how hard it must have been for Mary! She was but a young girl who would need to explain her pregnancy to both her family and to Joseph, her pledged husband, with a supernatural story of an angelic visit. We know from the book of Matthew that indeed, Joseph, upon hearing of Mary’s pregnancy, intended to divorce her, and did not do so only after heavenly intervention.
Mary may have felt blessed to ‘have found favor with God,’ but her life would no longer be a quiet, normal one. Her life would ultimately be filled with remarkable love, but also the excruciating pain of loss. Her reply to the angel Gabriel is one that points us to Christ in this time of Advent. Mary does not respond with fear or anxiety, suspicion or demands. Rather, she acknowledges who she is: “I am the Lord’s servant” (v. 38). It is an act of humble submission, one of trusting faith.
There are times that our Lord asks things of us. If we are in a place of unforgiveness, his word tells us to forgive. If we have succumbed to pride, we are called to repentance and a humbled spirit. If we have lost ourselves to the cares of daily life, we are called back to obedience and hopeful expectation. We are called to remember our Lord. And in those moments, whether it be to a joyful place or to a place of suffering for Jesus’ sake, let our response to the calling be as Mary’s—“May your word to me be fulfilled” (v. 38).
Raymond lives in Lexington and loves rock climbing and cycling. *This reflection originally appeared in PSC’s 2020 Advent Devotional.