In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
And the virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said,
“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
But she was greatly troubled at the saying,
and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:26-30(ESV)
We are introduced to Mary in the most intimate of ways. We are told that she is a virgin, engaged to a man named Joseph, who comes from the family line of David, and her name is Mary. Usually when we meet someone, we learn their name first, and then, as we build trust, we might learn these more intimate and delicate things.
But here, we meet the soon-to-be-mother of Jesus—a young virgin preparing to be married. She is from a small town and has a common name. Through earthly eyes, she’s an unlikely candidate.
But she has the favor of God. The angel Gabriel is sent to tell her that God is with her and that she is favored. Can you imagine what she must have felt? The text tells us that she was troubled at the news and tried to discern what it meant.
Mary lived in the time before her Son would save the world, and before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Christian believers. In those days, God’s presence marked his favor. The message to her was profound. God was with her, and she had his favor. Amazing.
Mary would go on to face fear, scrutiny, and danger. Not all would look on her situation with favor. She would travel with Joseph, far from all she knew, vulnerable and uncertain (I’m sure) about many things. She would deliver our Savior in a stable and flee for her life. I wonder if she ever questioned the favor and nearness of God in those places? She was human like us. Did she ever question the message given to her?
While Mary experienced the nearness and favor of God, she also carried the nearness and favor of God in her unborn Son, Jesus Christ, the very presence and nearness of God—pure favor in human form given to us. Emanuel, God with us.
Like Mary, we face hardship and pain, circumstances that if we are honest, don’t feel like favor. There are times we question his ways and wonder what he is doing. But let’s not forget that we, like Mary, have also been offered the chance to experience the nearness and favor of God, through his Holy Spirit, a helper who is with us forever.
