At the dawn of time, a woman, named Eve, came forth from the man, Adam. Yet, it was through that woman, Eve, that death entered the world. Later, a Man, named Jesus, would come forth from a woman, named Mary. And through that woman, Life Himself would enter the world, all in the Person of Christ Jesus.
Although the first woman gave birth to death, she was still called Eve, the Mother of all the living. And to our first mother, Eve, God spoke a specific prophecy, a blessed promise. A descendant of hers, a male child born of a woman, would trample down the ancient serpent, atone for sin, and turn death into life.
And so Eve waited expectantly. She thought her son Cain might be that Son. “Behold, I have brought forth a man–the LORD,” she exclaimed (Genesis 4:1). But he was not the LORD. Even more disappointing, he was not even a man who walked in the ways of the LORD. For Cain was made in the image and likeness of Adam, not God.
And of all the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, in the countless years since then, death has spared no one. Yes, it’s true that, in the span of human history, some have been more virtuous than others. Yet, all have still sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In them all, even the best, sin has still tainted and stained their every thought and inclination of the heart.
Prophets and kings came and went. Moses declared that God would raise up a prophet like him, to whom the people should hearken. David sang of his own son, a descendant, who would be the Son of God, who would inherit the throne forever.
Later, an arrogant King of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, named Ahaz, refused the word of the Prophet. He would not ask for the commanded sign. Yet, through Prophet Isaiah, God gave the sign anyway: “A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and will call him Immanuel’”–God with us (Isaiah 7:14).
But prophets and priests, rulers and the ruled all came and went. The virgin who would give birth to this Son, Immanuel, did not appear. Empires rose and fell, and our earth had many seasons and years when the prophetic hope had grown dim. To many, the prophecies of old had become nothing but dry and empty words.
Yet, there arose a vast Empire, headquartered inRome. The Roman Empire was large and strong, and the children ofIsraelwere small and weak. Yet, in a far-flung province of that great Empire, a messenger, the Angel Gabriel, broke the silence. He suddenly appeared, speaking to a young, Hebrew virgin named Mary.
And that event becomes a pivotal moment in human history. For what we celebrate today, the Annunciation, is not simply another Bible story. It’s not simply an episode in the life of Mary or Jesus. What we celebrate today is the Holy Spirit speaking Jesus Christ into the womb of the Virgin. Today, our Salvation begins to take on flesh, blood, and bone. That is what the angel Gabriel announces.
When we miss the Annunciation’s importance, we miss the eternal drama taking place in that singular moment, at that little-known corner of the world. And so the angel Gabriel speaks his message to Mary:
You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will call him “Jesus.” He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:31-33).
And then the angel pauses. He doesn’t tell Mary that she will give birth to God in the flesh no matter what, whether she chooses to or not. No, that is not the case. And so, all of God’s planning to save our fallen, human race hinges on this moment. If Mary says, “No,” then Jesus the man will not come into being. So, what will Mary say? All creation holds its breath, waiting to hear what Mary’s answer to the angel will be.
After all, although God is giving to Mary the greatest honor a human being could ever receive, she will not experience much of that honor in her lifetime. Mary’s own words that she would later speak, that all generations would call her blessed, will have to wait for future generations to live out.
Mary is now young and unmarried. She knows what her answer of “yes” will mean. And when she tells others how she became pregnant, will they believe her? Will her soon-to-be, future husband still marry her? If not, how will she live?
Oh, how easy it would have been for Mary to say, “No!” But she is a child of God with faith, herself believing in the promised Messiah. She has a faith that must live out what it believes. And so we, with all creation, breathlessly sigh in relief as she says, “Yes, let it be to me according to your word.”
And so the Holy Spirit overshadows the young virgin of King David’s line. The Word of God enters her ear and speaks into her the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Because of Mary’s faithful answer, our Redemption now comes into being. Because of her humble acceptance, our Salvation forms and grows in her womb, ready to be born, beginning to save our fallen race.
We should stand with our mouths open and gaping, astounded at the depth of God’s love for us. For God from God, who gave His people the Law onMount Sinai, put Himself under His own Law for us. The One who knew no sin took on our human nature and became sin for us.
Yes, the God who made the heavens and whom the heavens cannot contain confines Himself within the womb of the blessed Virgin. He who is beyond change, developed and grew as an embryo, a fetus, an infant, a child, and an adult. The Alpha and the Omega, the eternal Son of the Father, began a life and ended it within the boundaries of time, so we might live with Him in eternity.
Yes, the Son of the Most High, King of kings and Lord of lords, chooses the woman who calls herself the Lord’s servant to be His mother. Through God the Holy Spirit, Mary becomes the mother of God, for that is who is in her womb, God in the flesh.
In our greed, we, the children of Adam and Eve, grasped at being gods. But now, the selfless One Himself embraces our humanity. For Jesus did not consider equality with God the Father as something to be grasped. And so He emptied Himself, took on the form of a servant, to take on human flesh in the Virgin Mary.
For that is why our Lord Jesus Christ comes into our flesh. He comes, so He can bear our sin in His body. The second Person of the Holy Trinity condescends to take on flesh and bone–your flesh and bone. Why? So He can share with you His unending life, all so you might live in the unending light of His glory forever.
And that’s the point, after all, isn’t it? For Jesus didn’t simply grow in the womb, for it all to end there! No, He did so to become what you and I are. He became human down to His DNA.
But why, why did our Lord need to become human down to the marrow in His bones? It was all so He could take on our sin, undergo our temptation, endure our cross, suffer our suffering, and die our death. That was why. And that could only happen in a human body like ours.
And so our Lord goes forth to die to take all the penalties imposed by divine judgment for the sin of Adam, such as toil, hunger, thirst, and even death. And without His dying, then there would be no rising, no resurrection from the dead. And asSt. Paulreminds us, if Christ is not risen from the dead, then your faith is in vain.
Do you now see why today is the beginning or your Salvation? Because of the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit can now come to you through God’s Word and Sacrament. Because of the Annunciation, God’s Spirit can now create new life in you. He can give you the gift of faith. He can give you the grace to believe. He can also sanctify and keep you in the one, true faith. All of this is reality because Jesus took on flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Now, you might feel that your faith is inconsequential compared to the Virgin birth. But is that true? Both are miracles of God. Even more, faith is a gift we share with the blessed Virgin, for God also gave to her the gift of faith. She also was a sinner who needed to be saved. She also needed her Son’s salvation.
Because of what God carried out through Mary, we honor and revere her more than any other person who has ever lived. Yet, we also recognize that we have the same gift as Mary. For God also gives us faith to believe the truth that nothing is impossible for Him.
Knowing that truth, a blessed Virgin giving birth does not cause us stumble. Knowing that truth, we do not stumble over our need for forgiveness and salvation. Knowing that truth, we do not listen to Satan’s lies to doubt or deny the truth. We know that nothing is impossible for God–not even our salvation!
In that faith, we know that even the new life that God has promised to us is not impossible for Him. Like Mary, wherever life may take us, whatever we may face, we find the grace to say, “May it be for us according to His Word,” and it will be. For God gives us faith to believe the truth: that nothing is impossible for Him. Amen.
