God of surprises
From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
God of surprises 18 December 2011 The Revd Jenny Wilkens
- 2 Samuel 7:1-11
- Romans 16:25-27
- Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
I'm not sure if you've caught up with the Christmas billboard of St Matthew's in the City church in Auckland this year yet. They usually set out to provoke discussion in a provocative way, which can offend some, as happened with last year's billboard.
But this year the billboard is simply an image of Jesus’ mother, Mary, hand over her mouth, looking at a home pregnancy test kit revealing that she is pregnant. No words, no caption, and I think that's a good thing, for it allows us to make our own responses, to ask our own "I wonder" questions -just what was it really like for Mary, what were her feelings, emotions, reactions, to the news that she, probably a young teenager, was expecting a child?
And a reminder too that this Christmastime we live in a world where women will be receiving the news that they are pregnant, and perhaps greet that news with a myriad of emotions - joy, relief, anxiety, apprehension, resignation, fear. Perhaps you can think of your own experience or that of family members or friends. And we need to remember too women who receive news of their pregnancy following abuse or rape, perhaps as an instrument of war, or where grinding poverty means that another mouth to feed is a very mixed blessing at best.
The Vicar of St Matthew's, Glynn Cardy, commented about this year's choice of picture: “Christmas is real. It’s about a real pregnancy, a real mother and a real child. It’s about real anxiety, courage and hope."
Although it's often thought that Luke might have had access to Mary's story when writing his gospel, I get the impression that the realities of Mary's pregnancy have been somewhat 'smoothed out' in the editing process, bringing us Luke chapters 1 and 2. We get none of the anxiety of Matthew's version where it's made clear that Mary is with child out of wedlock. Yes, she is engaged or betrothed to Joseph, which is a binding commitment, only soluble by divorce, but to be found to be pregnant while engaged was indeed grounds for divorce, or even death by stoning. Joseph bends over backwards in Matthew's account, to dismiss Mary quietly, rather than divorce her publicly, exposing her to public disgrace. But either way the reality would be that she was 'spoiled goods', and that her life story was set from that point, a life of being outcast, living in poverty. Part of the recent story line of Downton Abbey of an unwed mum during WW1 is not so different a story!
All the more astounding, then, Mary's response to the angel's stupendous but shocking news: 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.' (Luke 1:38). Admittedly it is couched in the words that those called by God use in response throughout the Biblical record - here am I, here I am - it is a formula, a code phrase that those in the know will recognise. Ah, here is yet another who is hearing God's call, and turning up for duty.
But the very formulaic nature of Mary's response makes me feel it is almost too good to be true, that it is the rote response of someone who is yet shell-shocked, almost speechless, not quite struck dumb as was Zechariah at the news of the birth of John the Baptist (told to us by Luke earlier in the same chapter) but still reeling at the enormity of the power of the angel's words, and of the names given to the child she will bear: Great, the Son of the Most High, holy, Son of God (Luke 1:32,35).
'Here am I, the servant of the Lord' - the word doulos, servant could be as usual in the New Testament more literally translated 'slave'. Mary's first response recognises that she has been selected by God for this job and that God's choosing leaves no room for her own volition, or lack of it. We struggle in our day with such passivity, such acquiescence. What would a teenager say to the angel today - what about my rights, my wants, needs and desires, don't you realise what you're asking of me? What about me? I doubt many of today's teenagers would be so quick with such a selfless response..
And yet, and yet there follows from Mary some sort of consent, some sort of 'yes' to God, which shows that even though she does not fully grasp or understand what is being asked of her, yet she is willing to say yes to God's word, God's promises - 'Let it be with me according to your word'. What did Mary know of God's word, God's promises, God's faithfulness? We do not know, it is interesting that in Luke's version here we learn nothing of Mary's background or character or virtues. We gain no sense that Mary is more virtuous than all the other young women of her village or country or world of the time. We do not get the impression that Mary earns or deserves the honour of being chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Yes, she is called by the angel 'favoured one' (Lk 1:28) and told that she has 'found favour with God' (Lk 1:30) but in both cases, they are words derived from the Greek word 'charis' meaning grace. God's choice of Mary is an act of unmerited grace. Mary is the recipient of God's grace, as are we all.
Perhaps that is why Luke's portrayal of Mary is still fairly 'cardboard', one-dimensional and yet we know as the familiar story proceeds that we will see Mary grow in understanding and faith. There will be for her a dawning reality of just what the angel's news means, both tremendous joy and tremendous suffering.
But all this over time. First of all there is the delightful little interlude of Mary's journey to visit her aged but pregnant relative, Elizabeth in the hill country of Judea, in Christian tradition identified with the small village of Ein Kerem near Jerusalem. We visited this place with its churches, and the spring where one tradition has it that the annunciation happened as Mary drew water. We saw too the moving statue of Mary and Elizabeth, face to face, delighting in each other's surprising news, standing tummies almost touching, almost bouncing off each other in their joy.
Behind on the walls of that churchyard, were the words of the Magnificat in a myriad of languages, a reminder that for Luke it is important that this good news is news for all the people, that as Simeon would prophesy, this child to be born would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (Lk 2:32)
The words of the Magnificat are so familiar to us, particularly to those of us who are also Evensong afficianados, that they can lose their force, and we also know full well that Mary's words are sourced predominantly from the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2, so again there is something formulaic about them. But yet there is nothing formulaic about the shock value of the great reversals that Mary prophesies: the Lord has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly (Lk 2:52). What resonance this year with the swathe of leaders brought down from their thrones across the Middle East in the Arab spring.
'He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty' (Lk 2:53). Not a few of this world's bankers, investors and stockbrokers will hear this somewhat ruefully in the light of the financial turmoil of recent years.
I like to think Mary is there in the face of this year's 'Time' Person of the Year cover, picturing 'The Protester', the ones 'from the Arab Spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall St to Moscow', and now China we might say, people without power who have been prepared to stand up for what they believe in and want to fight for, regardless of personal cost or danger.
This seems to be the way that God has always worked, through people who have little power, but yet rely on the power and life-changing potential of a great God. This was the God of King David, who is reminded in 2 Samuel 7 in his own annunciation through the prophet Nathan, that it is not through his own abilities that he has become king of Israel, rather God says, 'I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you went' (2 Sam 7:8).
This God is a God on the move, a God of surprises, of new beginnings, new things, a God for whom nothing is impossible, a God who pitches his tent among his people and leads them onto into new and sometimes scary adventures. But at the same time this God is a God of covenant faithfulness, of continuity of promise through history, a God who can be trusted to keep promises, to keep faith with his people through thick and thin.
These two facets of God's nature: God's ever newness and God's ever faithfulness are what Mary will learn to trust in, as God tabernacles within her womb, pitches his tent within her, as Mary becomes the 'ark of the covenant' faithfulness of God, and brings the ever new child of God to birth.
As we prepare to journey with God into 2012, unknown to us and with many uncertainties in our country and our world, may we go trusting in those same 2 blessings of God: God's ever newness, God's ability to bring new beginnings, new hopes, new joys, and then God's ever faithfulness, God's reliability and trustworthiness. "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6). Thanks be to God.
