Lead the way, Lord

 

“Do not be afraid.”

It’s what angels apparently say all the time.

I say this because I’ve read that angelic greeting so many times that it comes across like a simple figure of speech, much like, “How are you doing?”  No one really wants to know how you’re actually doing.  No one wants to hear about your bunion…really no one does.  “Do not be afraid” sounds just as insignificant as "How are you doing?" when you don’t take the time to read the Bible closely.

The phrase is anything but insignificant.

Since my granddaughter just celebrated her 13^th birthday a couple of days ago, I found myself looking at the Virgin Mary’s situation in Luke’s Gospel [Luke 1:26-38] in a way I had never thought about it before.  I had never thought about a young girl suddenly encountering the supernatural.  I had never thought about the actual fear that probably penetrated the dark that night. 

There she was… a girl of about 13 or 14 settling down on her straw-filled bed in the complete darkness of the ancient night world.  Remember, in the ancient world there were no streetlights nor were there nightlights plugged into walls.

The night is not safe.  The night is full of robbers and wild animals.  The night is a place of spirits and demons.  The night is a place of fear.

That night, piercing the dark suddenly, was a man seen standing against the dim starlight in her small, dark bedroom.  Admittedly, the Bible doesn’t say that the angel came to Mary at night.  It could have happened in full daylight for all we know.  That said, just stick with me here, in the darkness, because there was much more to fear than the dark.

The angel said out of the darkness, “Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you.”  “Favored one;” what a strange thing to say to someone who really wasn’t anyone of note.  After all, Mary wasn’t a princess.  Mary had no political or religious influence in her society.  She didn’t have the wisdom of the years needed to influence the men of power from behind the scenes.

Mary was just a young, inexperienced, engaged girl…in the dark…not favored by anyone except maybe Joseph.  She was a poor nobody.  Mary sat on her bed perplexed, knees snug up against her chest protectively, listening to the man’s words.

The words, “Do not be afraid,” floated from across the dark room, originating from the strange man.

But the setting wasn’t the only thing that was scary.  I actually think that the angel was trying to make sure that Mary didn’t run in fear of the message he was about to deliver.

The voice from the dark continued, “You have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Have you ever suddenly realized that your entire world was about to change?  Have you ever been in a situation where you were quite certain that your life would never be the same?

“Your position in the company is being changed.  Maybe it’s time you retired, like you’ve been wanting to.”  I remember my boss telling me these exact words.

“I don’t want to be with you any longer,” the husband says to the shocked wife.

“Happy day graduates! I hope you have a plan for the future already,” the principal says during the graduation ceremony.

“I’m sorry, but your child is dead,” comes from the mouth of the police officer at the door.

“You’re going to be a father,” the young woman says to her shocked boyfriend.

All of these are examples of the very moment that our old world dies, and a new world begins, whether we’re ready or not.  Much of the time we’re not ready.  We’re certainly not ready for the tragedies of life that take loved ones from us or announce terminal illnesses.

Nor are many of us even ready for the seemingly happy events of life, like finding out for the first time that we’re going to be parents or finding out that we were accepted into a prestigious, yet academically challenging school.

With her shocking news sinking in, Mary questioned this new, uncertain vision for her life that would bring about the death of her old life.  After all, young virgins just don’t find out that they’re pregnant.  The lowly just aren’t chosen for greatness.  How do you even raise a king correctly?  What if you raise a brat?  What if you accidentally drop a divine child on His head?  The stakes are awfully high in this heavenly game.

Mary’s world was changing that very instant, and, as many of us already know, fear flourishes in times of change.

“Do not fear” the angel said to Mary.

Has saying, “Don’t be afraid” ever worked for you?  Imagine, the plane’s engine stops in mid-flight and the steward says, “Don’t be afraid, it happens all the time.”  I have to admit that just wouldn’t quite do it for me.

But the angel had more for Mary than just “Do not fear.”  He continued with something even better: “You have found favor with God.”

That’s the sweet music of grace; “You have found favor with God.”  It says, “No matter what, God is on your side, because God has found something of worth in you.”  It says, “No matter the fear or the hurdles you’re about to face, God knows that you’re the right one for this time and this place.”  It says, “It doesn’t matter if you think you’re the right one, God knows you’re the right one.”  And, it says, “God is with you through it all.”  “You have found favor with God.”

It’s true, each of us are the right one for this time and this place.  God didn’t make a mistake in choosing us for where we are in our life.  We have found favor with God.  God considered everyone else and thought, "No, I’ve found the right one.  It’s you."

Mary believed the promise.

Though she was from the middle of nowhere; though she was no princess or even a duchess; and though she was just a young teen, she believed the promise and set her sights on her new future.

That’s how great the promise of God is.  It allowed Mary to look upon her uncertain, new life and respond, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

Here we are Lord.  We don’t know what you were thinking in choosing us.  We don’t know what the future holds.  If we’re honest with ourselves, no amount of “Do not be afraid” is going to comfort us.  Yet, you think we’re the right ones for the task right here and right now.  So, if you think so Lord, here we are.  We are your servants.  Lead the way Lord.  Lead the way.