I wonder what Christmas gifts
Joseph might have bought for Mary? If he’d paid attention to his girl, he might
have shopped for the special bathrobe she pointed out to him. So he searched at
Macy’s, Penny’s and Sear’s and bite the bullet and went to Eastview Mall and
found s plush bathroom at Mon Amor. The sales girl told him that they would
even alter the robe if it were too long and that they offered free gift-wrap.
One item done. Mary was not much for jewelry since she could make her own. But
for her birthday, Joseph bought her some poinsettia earrings and it would be
nice if he could find a matching necklace, after searching many stores he got
lucky and find her a string of green and purple stones on a silver necklace. Boy,
will she be surprised!
Meanwhile
back home, Mary was indeed surprised or more shocked when she got a home visit
from the Archangel Gabriel. Initially you might think that receiving such a
visit would be like winning the lottery: what a great thing to have happen to
you! Except that throughout Scripture the people whom God takes the time
personally to visit generally get set up for a pretty difficult life. Mary is
no exception. Gabriel's greeting was like "Rejoice! You have found favor
in God's sight!" That is good news, but Mary will discover soon enough
that being the mother of God's Messiah will not be easy. She'll spend many
years worrying herself sick about the odd things that her son ends up doing and
saying. Ultimately, of course, she'll watch him die horribly in a public
spectacle just outside Jerusalem.
How do
we respond to the Gabriel’s in our own lives? How do we react when God suddenly
knocks on our door to announce a change in plans?
When
the doctor calls…
When
the sun never seems to shine anymore…
When our
jobs grow boring and exhausting…
When the
customers won’t stop begging us for discounts…
When a
child becomes ill…or a parent is bedridden…or the pregnancy results aren’t
what you thought they’d be…or wanted them to be.
We may
find ourselves brought up short by life. We may feel
disappointment, confusion, maybe even anger. And we may ask those
words that Mary asked so long ago, “How can this be?” How will I get
through it? How will I manage? The answer is the same today as it was
2,000 years ago. And that is what we cling to. It is possible. Because nothing
is impossible with God.
Lord,
I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are facing impossible situations the
lack of sunshine, the lack of a friend, a more challenging job, a physical pain
that won’t go away, people who are never satisfied, a change in our life plans.
Let an angel come to their aid at this moment and breathe these words into
their spirit: “Do not be afraid-because nothing is impossible
with God.”
