Anticipation

Luke 1:26-38, 46b-55

It’s finally here, the kind of scripture reading we have been waiting for all Advent. This event, this meeting between Gabriel and Mary, happened 9 months ago, give or take a few days. Many Christians observe the feast of the Annunciation on March 25, assuming Jesus cooperated by being born exactly 9 months after conception.

As with the birth of all babies, we have looked forward to this day with joy and anticipation. As an expectant mother, with July due dates and no air conditioning, I could hardly wait for my sons to be born so I could put them down. I could hardly wait to hold them and feed them and have my arm fall asleep while they napped in my lap.

I can hardly imagine the anticipation Mary has felt for the last nine months. And now the day is here. Tonight we can talk about the birth, but this morning, we are still waiting. We can imagine that Mary’s birth pains will soon begin, today, but not yet.

I know this coincidence of the Fourth Sunday in Advent coinciding with Christmas Eve, has happened before, but it is not common. This morning, we focus on the angel’s announcement and Mary’s response. In earlier verses, the same angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zechariah and told him that he and his wife Elizabeth were finally going to have a baby, and that the baby would be special.

Old Zechariah must have used a tone of skepticism as he said, “How can that be?!” because Gabriel told him he would be mute for the next nine months, until John was born. Despite his skepticism, Elizabeth does become pregnant.

Does Mary know about this pregnancy? Probably not, because Gabriel tells her about it. When Gabriel tells Mary she will become pregnant with the Messiah, her tone of voice must have been, not skepticism but wonder, amazement, as she, too, says, “How can this be?!”

What does she do? Most likely, she tells her mother and father. And then she goes off to see Elizabeth, so the two women can share something incredible. When women are together and pregnant or have young children, they talk about their pregnancies, their morning sickness, their cravings, and their challenges. These two mothers have an additional topic, the divine involvement in their pregnancies. They can share in the anticipation of these special children.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for a few months, until John was born, and Elizabeth was recovered from the delivery. While she is there, Mary sings the song we call the Magnificat, the song we sang as the Psalm today [My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness]. Magnificat is a Latin word that means to glorify. Mary sings, my soul gives glory to the Lord.

From this song, we know that Mary understands the reason God is sending Jesus to us.

Mary feels blessed to have been chosen by God over the thousands of girls in Israel at that moment. Mary rejoices in this blessing. She also anticipates the day when God’s blessings will be revealed to the whole world.

There will be radical changes coming, with the coming of this baby. The rich will lose their fortunes and the power that comes with it. The poor, in contrast, will finally have enough to eat, a decent place to live, and so forth. Divine mercy will be known and promises fulfilled. Over the centuries, poor and oppressed people have anticipated divine justice for their lives, even if they don’t get human justice. This song confirms it.

Two thousand years later, it often doesn’t look like things have changed. The powerful still have most of the money and most of the power. There are still wars and rumors of war. Global climate change is creating chaos with the weather around the world. Because of the Internet we know everything happening around the world in an instant, even if it is not true. Because of worldwide travel, illnesses travel around the world too.

We need a Savior as much today as the people of Israel did 2,000 years ago. But, just as the first believers discovered, the coming of the Savior does not mean a military leader. The coming of the Savior does not mean the powers-that-be will suddenly lose power. The coming of the Savior does not mean all will suddenly be well.

The coming of the Savior does mean we know that God loves us. The coming of the Savior does mean we know God loves us no matter what. The coming of the Savior does mean we are forgiven and made right with God with just our acceptance of God’s love.

Love and forgiveness and justice are the anticipated gifts of Jesus’ coming to earth. Today, as we anticipate celebrating once more the birth of our Savior, let’s spend some time considering the meaning of his coming into our lives.

Let’s look around for the places where God’s justice and mercy is being expressed – through the ministries of outreach of St John Lutheran Church. We give food and clothing and blankets and school supplies and teddy bears to people in need.

Let’s look around and see God’s justice and mercy expressed through our connection with Love INC, the Florida Bahamas Synod, the ELCA, and our companion synods, especially Haiti.

And, let’s look around this congregation and in our families. See where God’s love is noticeable, and how important mercy and forgiveness is to us as we live in community.

Please pray with me. Lord, we are filled with anticipation at the celebration of your birth again tonight. Fill us with your love, lead us to share in your mercy, and send us out to share you with all we know. Amen