Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

In this chapter, Mary experiences the visitation of the angel Gabriel, who informs her that she will have a child, despite being unwed and still a virgin. Mary is troubled, but the angel tells her about the miracle and good news and assures her that she is part of it. At the end of the chapter, she proclaims her obedience as a servant of God.

I am struck by Mary’s obedience to God’s will, even though she doesn’t understand it. Her pregnancy creates significant personal risk for her: with Joseph, with her family, and in society more broadly. But Gabriel assures her that this is because she has found favor with God. He tells her about the miracle that has occurred for her cousin Elisabeth: Mary is not alone. She is part of something much bigger. And Mary chooses to believe, even though the events Gabriel describes are “impossible.” Mary chooses hope over fear. She chooses joy, though shrouded in mystery, rather than despair. She places her faith in the expectation that her son’s kingdom will be “without end”, rather than succumbing to what could be crippling anxiety around the obstacles that the news brings for her in the nearer term.

I ponder what this kind of obedience means for us today. What is it to choose God’s joy, hope and mystery, even in the face of what seems to be unending darkness? Our world today can feel very dark indeed. Every day, we experience violence, conflict, anger, and hate. Believing in joy and hope feels impossible. But think of Mary. She faced societal shame, even expulsion. She had to flee from persecution. She endured the torture and death of her son. And she lived in an extremely turbulent and violent time, under Herod’s tyranny and Roman occupation.

So let us, in this Christmas season, follow Mary’s example and declare our obedience to faith, our servitude to joy. Let us be unwavering in our rejection of despair and our commitment to hope. For nothing—nothing—is impossible for God.

Katy George