Luke 1:26-38 Fear Not
You can take it as a given that there is always too much to discuss so I hope that you are brave enough to offer your questions. If you don’t want to post to the blog, then email me (ethan@besquared.org) and I will write a post just for you.
As I read this text, the first thing that jumped out at me was the contrast between Mary’s response and Zechariah’s. She is suprised and she asks questions. (Like Zechariah, she paid attention in health class.) But she does not ask, “How can I be sure?” There is no hint of “Prove It,” rather her response seems to convey wonder. And then having been told what God will do, she commits wholly to the method and will of God. As you can tell from my last post, I want this kind of attitude.
For me, one of the big obstacles to this attitude is fear. Apparently it was an obstacle for Mary too. Notice Luke’s clarity. She was not frightened at the angel’s appearance or voice. She was not surprised by the bright light. She was afraid of the message. So far she has been told that she is highly favored and the the Lord is with her. What exactly is fearful about this message?
I think that perhaps this text acknowledges that to be used by God is a fearful possibility. God’s servants will feast at the table one day, but first they will often pass through the valley of the shadow of death and even the feast comes in the presence of enemies. I think that part of the reason I am so quick with my rational objections (See the last post) is that inside I am afraid to let go. I am worried what God will do with my nice ordinary life if I really give God control. So I bargain and compromise and strike deals with God.
How differently Mary responds. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” or in NIV, “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Fear Not
That is the response I want. Despite my fear, because of my fear, I want to say, “I am the Lord’s servant. I will not be afraid because it is not in my hands. It is in God’s hands. I am God’s servant and that is enough. And as God’s servant, I will do God’s purposes, in God’s ways, for God’s glory.”
Mary got the message, and so the angel left.
-Ethan
2 Responses to 'Luke 1:26-38 Fear Not'
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
on June 6th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I think I’ve been able to answer closer to “I am God’s servant” for the life changing crossroads, but I struggle w/ the small and middle sized decisions.
on July 9th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I personally am petrified of the unknown of God. There is a sense in which I’m okay with saying “I am God’s servant” on the day to day stuff (although I of course have a bazillion and two times where I mess this up as well), but on the big stuff I am so scared. I’d love to get to a place where I don’t need to understand it first – but rather I just need to trust that God is in it.