The Proclaimed Word
Preached by the the Right Reverend Grant Lynn Ford at
Sunshine Cathedral MCC on Sunday, December 9, 2007
Today’s Gospel lesson is all about children and mothers and angels to
boot. Which reminds me of Billy, Faye’s son; you know, the kid with so
much energy he drives you crazy.
Well, Faye is finally at her wit’s end, so she asks the little
mischievous lad: “Billy, how do you expect to get into heaven when you’re
always so naughty?”
Billy thinks about this question for a little while, then replies, “Well,
mom, I’ll run in and out and in and out and I’ll keep on slamming the gates
of heaven until the angel at the gates says, ‘For heaven’s sake, Billy, come
in or stay out.’”
Today’s Gospel story is quite a story indeed. But did you know that this
same story appears in the Qur’an? In fact, that account has much more detail
than Luke’s version.
This background gives the story of the annunciation more depth. The
Qur’an identifies Elizabeth as Mary’s aunt and, more importantly, married to
Zechariah. Mary had been raised by them when her own father died. Her mother
pledged Mary to the temple, and Zechariah became a surrogate father as well
as her religious teacher, even though she was a girl.
This elderly couple is now to have a child, who will come to be named
John. The unborn John recognizes Jesus—also in the womb—as his superior. The
meeting is full of joy. The stories here don’t necessarily form parallels,
but rather complement each other.
When it comes to the annunciation, in the Qur’an Mary modestly shields
herself behind a screen so the angel doesn’t have to gaze at her directly.
Such modesty would never have entered the mind of a Jewish storyteller, or
of Luke, who is a Greek physician.
In the Qur’an the message of the angel goes like this: “Behold, Mary!
Allah gives you glad tidings, a Word from Him: his name will be Christ
Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the hereafter…” Mary
asks, “O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?” The
angel answers, “Even so: Allah creates what He wills: When He has decreed a
plan, He but says to it, ‘Be’, and it is!” [Surah 3:45-47]
In Luke’s version of the story Mary hears the words of the angel and then
asks: “How is that possible? I’m still a virgin!” Gabriel replies, “It’s
like this; the Holy Spirit will come upon you — the power of God will
envelope you — so this holy child will be called the Son of God.”
Then Gabriel tells her, “Your cousin Elizabeth is also going to have a
child. They said she was unable to conceive, yet she’s already six months
pregnant! Nothing is impossible with God.”
In one version ‘aunt’ and in another ‘cousin’? How can this be? In those
days the word cousin really included all close relatives, so the two
versions are not really that far apart.
But here’s a more important note: in both the Qur’an and the Bible the
angel is speaking on God’s behalf to a woman. In fact, the angel has
been busy talking all over the place, to Zechariah and later to Joseph. But
women are equally as important in the plan of God, even though
prejudice will be against them. Elizabeth will be embarrassed to be with
child at her age, and the neighbors will talk! And what will the neighbors
say about Mary, an unwed girl who was supposedly a virgin, but now with a
big belly full of an unborn child.
Being an expression of God’s Plan is not always easy. Finding the will of
God for your life is not always a picnic. Ask Elizabeth. Ask Mary.
But isn’t that why we’re here on this planet in the first place? Are we
not here to experience life itself, and thus to discover where we fit into
the Divine Pattern of the Universe?
Let’s look at some other stories that might throw light on all this. The
citizens of Jerusalem were being carried off by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in
Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the remnant who had not yet
been exiled. The biblical record even tells us the names of the bearers of
the message: Elasah, son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, son of Hilkiah. They
themselves were carried into exile, and took the message with them.
Of course, they were all lamenting their plight, and Jeremiah wanted to
send them a word of comfort. Here’s what he imparted to them, speaking on
God’s behalf: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Eternal,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.” [Jeremiah 29:11]
Well, that wasn’t a whole lot of comfort! Jeremiah even went on to tell
them to pray for Babylon and for its leadership, and to settle down, build
houses, raise families, fulfill God’s plan for their lives right where they
were.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says God. And so we are reminded
that God’s plan is always working out, in each of our lives, right on
schedule, even when it doesn’t look the greatest.
By the way, the people of God waited those seventy years that they were
told to wait by the prophet. And indeed the people of God did return
to Israel, not while Nebuchadnezzar was king, but by order of Cyrus, who
made Babylon a part of his larger kingdom of Persia.
The plan of God always works out for the best. Look at Elizabeth and
Zechariah. They had a boy who became a great prophet. His name was John, as
reported again by both the Bible and the Qur’an. He made a great impact on
his world, and next week we will celebrate his birth.
And look at Mary. She and Joseph had a wonderful son, whose birth we will
celebrate in a few weeks. The angel was right. Listen to Gabriel’s words:
“God is delighted with you! You’re going to have a child; you’ll name him
Jesus. He will be famous, known as the Son of the Most High… His reign will
never end!”
Do you ever question whether you are in God’s will or not? Do you ever
wonder if there’s a purpose for your life? Perhaps this word from Rainer
Maria Rilke is what you need to hear:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the
questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you
because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live
everything. Live the questions”
He knew that even when we feel we are defeated, we are learning and thus
winning. He wrote: “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and
greater things.” Only by experiencing what life offers can we appreciate our
reason for being on this planet!
It might take an angel or two — or perhaps the words of the Psalmist
(37:23-26) — to convince us that “…the steps of a good person are ordered by
the Eternal, who delights in the path taken. Even when tripped up or
stumbling about, the hand of the Almighty is there to hold on.”
God is leading each one of us into the path of our own blessing, as we
learn our purpose and express God’s good in all we do or say. Elizabeth can
witness to that. Mary can witness to that. Even Billy, Faye’s son, can
witness to that. And that’s the truth!