Raising three boys I've learned to tune out a lot of noise and adapt my ears to selectively hearing only the most important things, like "Blood!" "Fire!" and the scariest of all when raising boys...silence. And after decades of reading the Bible it takes an extra effort to not gloss over the familiar lines of the Christmas story and catch all the important meaning.
Recently as I read, "The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.' "( Luke 1:28) I took time to stop and ponder all that might have been happening in Mary's heart as she heard these words.
"Greetings…"
After 400 years of radio silence from God He sends a heavenly messenger to a lower-class single woman living oppressed under Roman rule. Nobody who was "anybody" in her world ever noticed her. And with no warning at all Mary is suddenly aware that she is SEEN by the most important ONE of all.
Isn't this what all of us long for, to be seen?
"Highly favored one…"
Before she can even get over the shock of God seeing her, she is told she is favored by Him. He has CHOSEN her out above all the rest.
And don't all our hearts beat with the same desire? From day one of our existence we long to be loved, special, chosen.
"The Lord is with you…"
The incredible news continues to roll in. Since leaving the garden of Eden God has not dwelled WITH us...until now. And it starts with Mary. He even calls His Son, Immanuel: God with us.
It's what we all long for and what drives us to be seen and chosen, our deep need for relationship. We long to be WITH.
Through Mary's story God begins to restore us to Himself:
The One Who sees us.
The One Who chooses us.
The One who offers to be With us.
In Mary's story we witness the beautiful unfolding what God has been doing over and over from the beginning of creation, reaching out and entering into relationship with anyone who is willing.
"...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ…" Ephesians 1:4-5a
Dear One, you are SEEN.
