advent 2011: Friday of Hope

Back to the Gospel of Luke and we arrive at the Annunciation to Mary. I like to travel slowly through this scene, drinking in all the hidden elements to the story. From Luke 1:

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth.²⁷ He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary.²⁸ The angel came to her and said,         

Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you! 

²⁹ Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant.³⁰ The angel said to her,          

Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.³¹ You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,³³ and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!

Last year I shared my reflections on the Annunciation on our church blog, Sunday Lunch. I also highly recommend Denise Levertov's poem of the same name; her fresh perspective is inspiring and eye-opening.

Waiting in Hope...to understand.