FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
21 DECEMBER 2014
King
David was a powerful man with ambitious plans.
He had united the tribes of Israel into a stable nation and established
Jerusalem as its capital. He had
defeated the enemies and brought peace.
He had built himself a nice house.
Now he wanted to build a proper house for the Lord who had given him his
success. At first, Nathan the prophet
agreed. But the Lord spoke through
Nathan and told David to scrap his plans.
God had greater plan than a physical temple, which would be built by
David's son, Solomon. God told David to
trust that he would build of his line of descendants a house that would endure
forever.
One thousand
years later, we meet a teenage girl living in a remote village 90 miles north
of Jerusalem. We have no idea of what
Mary was planning, because she had none of the fame or power of King
David. We can only speculate that she
was planning to settle down with her betrothed, Joseph, have children, and
raise a family. However, the Angel
Gabriel startles her to announce that the promises made to David would be
fulfilled in her. Like the Spirit of God
hovering over the void at the time of creation, the Holy Spirit would come upon
her. Her body would become the Ark of
the New Covenant, bearing God's only begotten Son.
When the 15th
century artist, Fra Angelico, painted this scene, he used a device to help us
understand what the Angel's message did to Mary's plans. In his painting, Gabriel is leaning in toward
Mary. The artist linked them by writing
the words of their conversation between them.
The Angel's declaration that the Holy Spirit will come upon her is
straight forward. But Mary's response,
"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word" is written upside down
and backward. By doing this, Fra
Angelico shows us that Mary's plans are reversed, and her world is turned
upside down. In agreeing to be the
handmaid of the Lord, Mary enters into a certain darkness that comes with
uncertainty and unexpected change.
Today is
the darkest day of the year. Not only do
we experience a short period of light today, but cloud cover around here makes
this time of the year gloomier. This
darkness is a sign of the deeper darkness which is experienced by those who
have had their worlds turned upside down and their plans reversed. Those who have lost loved ones to death and
are facing their first Christmas without them know the darkness of having their
world turned upside down. The same is
true of those who are suffering from any kind of illness or depression or even the
flu. Others bring the darkness of broken
relationships and dysfunctional family dynamics to this week. Many dwell in the darkness of being alone.
When we
find ourselves in any kind of darkness, we are tempted to believe that God is
distant from us. But, in fact, the
opposite is true. God's presence is much
more profound than an emotional feeling of warmth or happiness. When our world gets turned upside down and our
plans are reversed, God keeps his promise to us, just as certainly as God kept
his promise to King David and to Mary, the Mother of God. It took 1,000 years before God's promise to
David was fulfilled in Mary's response.
Mary continued to ponder all these things in her heart as she faced the
darkness of her new and unexpected condition.
Mary trusted that the Lord's promise to her would be fulfilled, even
when the village gossiped about her pregnancy, even when the child was born in
a stable, even when they were exiled in Egypt, and even as her Song hung on the
cross.
It is Mary's
faith that sustains us in these final days before Christmas. Of course, we need to do the work of
preparing for our celebration. But, if
we prepare in a way that allows God to surprise us, even in turning our lives
upside down and backwards, then we can also say with Mary, "Let it be done
to me according to your word."
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