Dave's Diary

On this second day of our journey to Christmas Eve, let’s be a fly on the wall as God initiates an encounter with someone we know very well – a young woman named Mary. In this encounter, God continues to set the stage for the birth of His Son, our Saviour and Lord. Let’s ask the Spirit to whisper a fresh sense of wonder and hope to our souls.

As you read , seek to enter the events in your imagination. Hear the sounds, smell the aromas, marvel at the sights, touch the textures, taste the flavours, feel the emotions and, most importantly of all, watch for the work of God.

Out on the windswept hillside behind Nazareth, Mary breathed heavily as she climbed. Perspiration drenched her dress and the dry air burnt her throat. The sun beat down on her head as she squinted into the glare, looking for the sheep that had wandered off. But she wasn’t complaining. Abba had trusted her to find their precious ewe, and she was honoured. Finding her favourite shade tree beside the path, she sat for a moment on the deliciously cool ground, just to catch her breath. From behind her, she heard a deep, smooth, beautiful voice speak her name, “Mary.”

Daily Reading: Luke 1:26-38

What emotions rise in you as you contemplate this encounter?

For me, it evokes an enormous sense of respect and admiration for Mary. She did not understand how the angel’s words could come true. She could not comprehend exactly the price she would have to pay, or how she would cope with the challenges of pregnancy as an unmarried young woman. She had no idea how her parents or her fiance, Joseph, might respond, or whether he would be willing to accept her as his wife if she fell pregnant in this way. Her whole life was about to be upended, and everything that she loved and enjoyed about her quiet life in Nazareth would most likely be blown away if she agreed to this divine plan. Yet Mary’s answer was, “Yes.”

She replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary’s example inspires me to make my own surrender to the ongoing will of God for my life. I hope it does something similar for you.

Prayer

Lord, teach me to truly love Your will, and not only to accept it. Teach me to trust in Your infinite goodness and mercy, and to be entirely dependent upon Your loving, protective, Fatherly care. May I find the grace to step out in obedient faith and thereby to experience Your transforming power in my life. Teach me to not only resign myself to Your will, but always to seek it wholeheartedly, embrace it joyfully, and abandon myself to it lovingly – with joyful confidence in the goodness of Your plan. Like Mary, help me to say “yes” to your divine plan for my life, knowing that great things happen when I give you my YES. Amen.