Luke 1:26-27
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Monday, December 1 - Week of Hope
Place yourself in Mary’s shoes for a moment. As a young teenager, her engagement to someone whose lineage traced all the way back to King David would have been a potential status symbol. However, we must remember that women were engaged to someone in a transactional sense. While we do not know the dowry that was offered behind the scenes, we know this was the likely reality.
We have the benefit of knowing the whole story of the birth of Christ, but for now, let us suspend that understanding and sit in the moment. Mary is engaged; she is about to embark on a new adventure with Joseph, and the world for them is all about the future together. I would think that it would be filled with Hope for Mary. Until... until we take the next steps through the story.
In the moments we feel indescribable Hope, we must hold on to them because moments are fleeting. Things can and do change rather quickly, but our Hope is not in the impermanent things, but in the One who has created, has redeemed, and will sustain those who follow in the footsteps of Christ.
Prayer: Blessed Lord, help us to see hope all around us as we learn to look at the world with excitement and possibility, just as you see us as your children. Amen.
