From this single moment, human history is changed. An angel appears to a young woman, asks her to bear God's son, and she says – yes. From that moment she is changed, we are changed, the world is changed. God is coming and coming among us, on of us.
From this simple encounter Mary starts a new journey with God and with the Christ. Literally she and Joseph are called from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the Roman Census and they travel the long and hard road with her heavily pregnant. (If you are not sure about what this might look like our Family Service children helped put together a map which is on the board at the back of church.) But along with this literal travelling comes a journey which will both feed and challenge her to her very core. Never has such a yes been uttered.
Mary undertakes – not simply to be in relationship with the child she bears but to share and take the burden for that relationship in a much more public arena. It is only a short time after the birth of Jesus that she comes to the Temple and meets the prophet Simeon – this child, this light of the world is real and welcome, but her pain will be like a sword through the heart. But as well as being a paradigm for faithful obedience Mary has also been dragged into the arena of discord and argument in the Christian Church. Mary has alternatively been ignored and belittled or deified.
The Reformation in the sixteenth century overturned many abuses in the Church. Those involved tried to cut the Christian religion back to its basic roots – as we all know from history England ended up with a settlement which swung over the years in doctrine and churchmanship. Now we find ourselves with a wide theological and ecclesiological umbrella. Our creed states that we believe in the communion of saints but what that actually means changes depending upon whom you are talking to.
Whilst Martin Luther would have reduced the idea of the communion of Saints to the community of saints gathered in the Church on earth – I would not do the same. The idea that God is surrounded by a heavenly court and is praised constantly comes from the Bible. This quickly developed in Christian doctrine to the idea of heaven and a communion of saints. If you look at the creeds the sanctorum communionem – the communion of the holy of the saints – is mentioned in the earliest creeds of the Church – before the divinity of Christ was written in to counter heresies in the fourth century.
The real rub with the communion of saints and especially with Mary comes in the question of what they actually can or cannot do and how we should treat them. The phrase “with all the saints in heaven and on earth” should give us a clue that the idea of praising God, of praying to God in unison with the saints should not be foreign to us. But then we get on to the much stickier ground of asking Saints to pray for us, of praying to the saints and then of Saints performing miracles – even, apparently at their own volition.
I think the question I always ask myself is is this pointing to Jesus – because that is what we remember that saints do for us – their lives, their prayers, their actions point in the direction of Jesus – not perfectly whilst they were on earth but in some way which helps us to recognize the face of Christ a little more clearly in this world of ours. That could, of course, include all of the above, or possibly, for some, none of them.
What I do not think is helpful at all, is over – pietising the Saints and especially Mary. If we insulate her in some sort of religious bubble wrap which says that she was somehow very different to us, that she didn't feel things the same as us, that she was never angry or always perfect it would seem to me to take away that very human yes – that very human fear which she felt when she met the angel – that very human pain which she endured. Whilst she was certainly endued with God's grace she can only be an example to us if, at the end of the day, she is one of us – an ordinary person called to an extraordinary task.
Perhaps the nature of this extraordinary task is summed up in the Angel's greeting to her “Chaire”. The Greek word is Chaire is a way of saying hello, but is also the imperative of the verb to rejoice – this greeting not only acknowledges Mary but tells her that she must rejoice, in the face of such wonderful news what other response could there be? This is one of the key aspects of Sainthood – this deep rejoicing, this joyfulness in the presence of God in all things. It is not always happiness or even contentment (that word which means things held together) but beyond the sometimes pain and swirling seas of life there is a voice in the Saints which can still say, “You are God, your Holy Name be praised”.
It is worth hanging onto this imperative “Rejoice!” as we go about the next week. Things are busy, people are grumpy, taking the car to Waitrose is definitely a big time investment – but in all the hustle and bustle we can have in the back of our minds, and hopefully on our lips and in our actions, that with Mary we are instructed to find a place of rejoicing – The Christ is coming and coming soon.
I do not know the etimology of the Greek words but I would be surprised if it was pure coincidence if the word for rejoice Chairo and the word for love Charis were not somehow related. Charis in the older versions of the Bible is translated as Charity, in the newer ones love but the link I would want to make is, I think, clear – that we can only rejoice truly when we are looking outwards and looking at each other as those who are in relationship with one another – a relationship of community, of common care, a relationship, in other words, of love.
Mary, then, sits right at the heart of this intersection of rejoicing and love – because of her position with the Christ, because of her yes – she takes the burdens and cares of motherhood and of this especial motherhood and sits at the heart of Christian community – not as a figure of salvation but as an example of love and true discipleship.
This intersection of giving relationship and community then is at the heart of every Christian greeting. It is bounded by both love and rejoicing and, perhaps, gives up a good paradigm for our own thoughts about and devotion to those who have trodden this Christian path before us, and especially Mary.
When we look outward and beyond ourselves we start to notice all sorts of things – those points of light in our world which point to incarnation, those thin places where we can almost hear the host of heaven for ever praising God. Jesus, God incarnate, is at the heart of this intersection between earth and heaven, Jesus gives and lives and offers and becomes. Our God reigns!
As the angel comes to Mary it is as if time stops for a moment, all creation waits with bated breath for her reply, and then “yes”.
So in this last week before Christmas let us hear the angel's words and live into that same calling of obedience to which Mary committed herself. Let's really work hard to find rejoicing in our lives and actions – even when life it tough to dig deep within and beyond ourselves and to squeak out a little alleluia.
Greetings to all of you in the name Our Lord Jesus Christ who calls each of you into His service in joyful obedience, rejoice! Rejoice with Blessed Mary and all the saints. Rejoicing in Christ turn outwards in love to those who have no words for God, to those who have lost hope, to those with no voice. Rejoice that Jesus is coming, and coming soon. Amen.
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