Greetings, Favored One!
A reading for Thursday, October 1, 2015: Luke 1:26-38.
Sometimes it might seem like calling is a burden to be carried. Just this week we have remembered Samuel, Isaiah, and especially Jonah, and perhaps it seems like calling is something we would never want on purpose. It's a life filled with fear and even the heaviness of being alone with God for a serious purpose.
But take heart, we must not fail to remember that the calling of God is the ultimate blessing. Today's story about the calling of Mary reminds us. “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you,” says the angel. Mary would enjoy a relationship with God that no other woman on earth has ever been given before or since. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Her calling is the best blessing any life could ever hope to realize.
Here's the best news of all... Our calling works exactly the same way. It might seem like Mary is in a special category, and perhaps she is. However, the privilege of our calling is the same as hers even if the function of it is different. We have the ultimate blessing of participating with God in what God is doing in the world. When you imagine your calling to serve, no matter how great or how small it seems that calling might be, here these words: "Greetings, favored one!"
Sometimes it might seem like calling is a burden to be carried. Just this week we have remembered Samuel, Isaiah, and especially Jonah, and perhaps it seems like calling is something we would never want on purpose. It's a life filled with fear and even the heaviness of being alone with God for a serious purpose.
But take heart, we must not fail to remember that the calling of God is the ultimate blessing. Today's story about the calling of Mary reminds us. “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you,” says the angel. Mary would enjoy a relationship with God that no other woman on earth has ever been given before or since. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Her calling is the best blessing any life could ever hope to realize.
Here's the best news of all... Our calling works exactly the same way. It might seem like Mary is in a special category, and perhaps she is. However, the privilege of our calling is the same as hers even if the function of it is different. We have the ultimate blessing of participating with God in what God is doing in the world. When you imagine your calling to serve, no matter how great or how small it seems that calling might be, here these words: "Greetings, favored one!"
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