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Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,\xa0and he will reign over Jacob\u2019s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.\u201d (Luke 1:29-33)

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Mary was troubled. \xa0Not at the angel\u2019s appearance, but at his words.\xa0 What a strange thing.\xa0 The words Mary is responding to were part of our text yesterday.\xa0 These words from the angel: \u201cGreetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you!\u201d\xa0 These are the words that made Mary greatly troubled.

But Mary\u2019s reaction is strange, not just because these were actually quite nice words, but also because usually people are frightened by the sight of the angel, not the content of the angel\u2019s speech.\xa0 Most folks cannot hear what the angel has to say until after they are reassured about the angel\u2019s frightening appearance.\xa0 But not with Mary: there is an odd receptivity in her from the start.\xa0 Her eyes are open and ready, and so are her ears.\xa0 She is ready to hear and attend to the voice of God.\xa0

But she is not well prepared to be so unquestioningly received by God.\xa0 This is what greatly troubles her.\xa0 That she is favoured and that God is with her: that\u2019s what gives her pause and sends her mind reeling.\xa0

I think many of us can relate.\xa0 We are content to think of ourselves as naught more than lowly servants, certainly no one to be paid attention to.\xa0 Some of us consider ourselves to be lowly, sinful worms: unworthy of God\u2019s attention.\xa0 Still others of us consider ourselves to be a bit on the outside. Rebels with a few questionable habits, activities, and places we hang out.\xa0 Folks who like to have fun and not take life too seriously: certainly not of the pious, inner-circle sort.\xa0

What a shocking surprise then when an angel shows up at some random time in the middle of the week to say: \u201cGreetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you!\u201d\xa0 Can you imagine?\xa0 What if he just popped in on you at work?\xa0 At school?\xa0 In the living room watching a movie?\xa0 At the pub playing or listening to some live music?

And yet, those are exactly the sorts of words that God does speak to us at just the oddest of times.\xa0 Through the work of Mary\u2019s newly announced son, Jesus, we have now all become daughters and sons of God.\xa0 So the Lord is with us.\xa0 He does favour us highly: even loves us.\xa0 Unconditionally.\xa0 Black sheep and white sheep, the shame-filled and the drifters: all of us he loves just the same.

Mary would have to be told a second time for it to sink in though.\xa0 And if attentive Mary needed to hear it twice, then I\u2019m sure we do too.\xa0 Maybe three times even.\xa0 \u201cDo not be afraid; you have found favor with God.\u201d\xa0

I don\u2019t know if you noticed it, but all the saving promises of Jesus have already begun slowly seeping into the story.\xa0 \u201cThe Lord is with you\u201d the angel says.\xa0 Why, in these words Mary has already receive the promise of Immanuel, \u201cGod with us.\u201d\xa0 And finding favour with God\u2014in these words, Mary has already received the promised chosen-ness soon to be realized for us all in Jesus\u2019 work.

Slowly the good news of the gospel has begun seeping into the story: not just in future promises, but also in Mary\u2019s lived reality.\xa0 I hope this good news also interrupts you today and begins seeping into your story in just that way: in the midst of whatever you\u2019re doing, as you hear and know that these words are also for you. \u201cYou who are highly favoured\u2014the Lord is with you!\u201d