Angel Greetings 101

Luke 1:29–34 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” CONSIDER THIS Before an angel gets sent to earth to give us humans divine words, messages, or instructions, I wonder if they have to attend angel training first. In my mind, I can almost see it. Imagine an ornate angelic classroom where Gabriel calmly walks to the front of the room; clears his throat, calling the class to attention; and says the following: “Okay, class! If I can have your attention. Settle down. Find your seats, please. Today’s class is on the subject of ‘How to speak with humans and not scare them to death.’ This is a short lesson but an instrumental one. Really, it’s all about how you open the conversation. There are four words you will want you memorize, rehearse, and remember, as they are key in any interaction you have with a human being.” Seeing this as a teaching moment, Gabriel asks, “Any guesses as to what those words might be?” Silence falls on the room. One angel on the front row timidly raises his hands and replies, “Please don’t run away?” “Good answer; however, nope. Not right,” Gabriel replies. A few moments pass, and another angel’s hand goes up. “Hey, neighbor, got a minute?” Gabriel shakes his head and replies, “That’s five words and, nope, still not right.” After more silence, Gabriel walks to the chalkboard and writes the following four words down in all caps, instructing all the angels to copy them down and remember them. The words on the board are as follows: DO NOT BE AFRAID. Class dismissed. Have you noticed that, when you read the interactions between angels and humans, “Do not be afraid” seems to always be the token opening statement? Angelic encounters can be terrifying. When you read the descriptions of angels in Isaiah or Revelation, I think “do not be afraid” is the perfect way for an angel to start. However, it’s interesting that when Gabriel met with Mary, he used a different script. He didn’t open with the phrase, “Do not be afraid.” Instead, it was, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). On the other side of that, what do you find? “Mary was . . . troubled . . . and wondered what kind of greeting this might be” (v. 29). Having learned that she’s favored and that the Lord is with her, Mary’s next thought is not one of fear because a literal angel is standing before her. Instead, her opening thought: I’m favored by the Lord? Uh-oh. That can’t be good. Now, pay attention to what happened next. Gabriel, once again, repeated that she’s favored, and then delivered the news that the Messiah will come through her womb. Notice what follows. She didn’t doubt; instead, she wondered. It’s interesting that this was a very different reaction than that of Zechariah. Remember, when Zechariah heard his news, he replies, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years” (1:18 NRSV, emphasis mine). Yet here Mary simply asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (emphasis mine). Remember, she was betrothed to Joseph. To be betrothed was very much like a marriage, minus the consummation. However, when she learned that a child would come through her womb—and not just any child, the promised Messiah, God in flesh—the only question Mary asked was not one of doubt, but one of wonder. Where Zechariah saw obstacles, Mary saw the miracle and wondered at how it would play out. Did you know that most commentators and scholars believe Mary was anywhere between twelve and fourteen years of age? For all intents and purposes, she was still a child, and I wonder if perhaps that’s where the childlike wonder she possessed in this moment came from—her own youth. Mary, in this quiet and beautiful moment, didn’t understand the “how.” Not by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, she did understand the who that was behind it. The thought for today: we don’t always get the full picture when it comes to God’s plan and workings in our lives. It’s difficult to know how God will carry us through. Yet let childlike wonder take over in those moments and say to yourself the following: “I may not know the how, but thank you, Jesus, I know the who. ‘I AM’ will always be enough for me.” THE PRAYER  Eternal God, you hold everything in perfect balance in the palm of your hands. That includes me. Give me the peace to trust and the patience to walk with you and not run ahead of you. In Jesus’s name, amen. THE QUESTIONS What encourages you through Mary’s reaction and response to Gabriel? What challenges you? What would it look like for you to move from doubt to wonder in your own life?