The appearance of an angel of the Lord, under any circumstance, is no small thing. But when the angel Gabriel, whose name means “God is my strength,” appears to Mary, the world is turned on its head. This unknown and lowly maiden, who was betrothed to an equally unknown and unexceptional carpenter named Joseph, finds favor in the eyes of God. It is favor, not just to be the recipient of some temporal blessing, but to be something far more. She is to be the ark of the new covenant. She is to carry in her womb the Son of God, the redemption of mankind. Here, at the beginning of the story of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find the strength of God coming not to the lofty and powerful, not to the well-known and strong, but to the small and lowly. The strength of God will be made manifest not through temporal power, but weakness. Our God works under the form of opposites, to accomplish His great deeds.

But before we move through this incredible story, take a moment to consider just what this means for you. If this is how God begins His work, if this is the way the story of our salvation unfolds, it has ramifications for your inclusion in His magnificent work. Remember what Saint Paul said to the church in Corinth: “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” God is not just recruiting the rich and powerful, the influential and well known. No, He comes to us, to the uncertain, second guessing, wavering disciples that we are, and in our midst, He continues to work His gifts.

The Almighty God, the Creator of all we know declares in His strength that this lowly virgin will be the most blessed of women, charged with the most honored of tasks. She cowers in fear before the divine messenger who appears before her, unsure of what this could mean, afraid that this might be her end, her undoing by the strength of God. But Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.” This is the proclamation that the Messiah has come, and she will be His mother. Surely that must mess with your mind. For Mary, all she had envisioned as a future, the whole trajectory of her life is now shockingly changed. Everything is different.

None of this makes much sense. To begin with, she wonders how she can have a son if she is still a virgin. So, Gabriel tells her about the working of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High. She will conceive, but He will be unlike any child ever conceived before. This is the sinless one, the Son of God Himself. Nothing is impossible with God. Therefore, through this surprising turn of events, this turning over of the power structures of our world and the lofty expectations of humanity, God begins to unfold the salvation of mankind by being born of Mary. In response to all this, Mary makes a confession of faith which continues to inspire. It fills us with wonder as we contemplate the radical thing God is doing. With simple reverence she says, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

This is the language of faithful discipleship. Let be to me according to your word. That is an answer only the gift of faith can give. Do we dare to make such a claim ourselves? Can you muster up the strength to declare this bold statement on your own? For the Word of God is not always a nice and pleasant thing for sinners like us. Of course, we may find it a bit easier to claim this language as our own when we are in the practice of condemning others, when we look at others and see their blatant failings in self-righteousness. For we know what the Word of God says about sin. We know full-well what is judged and found wanting. So, instead of saying let it be to me, we say let it be to them. Let them repent and turn again to God. Afterall, the Word of God will certainly expose their sin. It will lay bare the thoughts and desires of their hearts. In this way, we claim the authority of the Word to judge others.

Certainly, we can go on like this for a while, but we all know that sooner or later the judgment of the Word of God will fall upon ourselves. Do we dare say, let it be to me according to your Word? Do you risk surrendering to the judgment and proclamation the Word of God? For this is not a tame and safe thing to do. God’s Word will expose your thoughts, words, and deeds, what you have done and left undone will be judged by the Word. It will lay bare all the times you have failed to help those in need, all the moments you have turned aside from responsibility because it was too uncomfortable, too difficult to see through. They are all condemned according to the Word. Your arrogance and pride, your moments of brutality and indifference, the Word reveals all. Truly Mary is exceptional in her confession, in her willingness to allow the Word to have full dominion over her.

While we may hesitate and not want to hear what the Word has to say to us, as it condemns and judges, we learn this is just the beginning of what the Word is doing to us. Perhaps Mary stands as an example which encourages us to go through a hard word of condemnation to get to the sweet and life-giving Word on the other side of our judgment. According to the Word of God, you are sinners, through and through. According to the Word, you have sinned in thoughts, words, and deeds. According to the Word, you are worthy of eternal condemnation. But the Word is just beginning its holy work on you. For in stripping you of any hope in your own works, it then fills your empty hands with the gifts of Christ alone. According to the Word, you have a Savior. According to the Word, you have One who stands on your side in the Judgment Day and declares you are forgiven of all your sins. According to the Word, you are given the gifts of eternal life and reconciliation with the Father.

What Mary reminds us of is that our whole life of faith is lived out according to the Word of God. It is a Word which is beyond our control, outside our claims of autonomy and authority. This Word gets to work upon you. It will cut and tear you with the Law, judging and condemning along the way. But that is just the precursor to the proper work of the Word. This is the necessary breaking down so He might build you back up in Christ alone. For the Word of the Gospel declares that everything necessary has been done for you in Christ. Therefore, by faith you are the children of God. By faith you are heirs of eternal life. By faith you live again according to the Word.

So, led by the mother of our Lord, we dare to make her confession our own. Trusting in the promises of Christ, holding fast to the grace and mercy of God, we dare to mutter the words: Let it be to me according to your Word.