In the Second Book of Samuel, God makes it clear to King David that it is God who is responsible for his position in life: It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel, the Lord says. David wants to build a house for God (because the ark of the God dwells in a tent!), but God says he will establish a house for David. The Lord promises that David’s house and kingdom shall endure forever in a peace that will last, without further disturbance. Later, the psalmist will sing Psalm 89 in order to remind the Lord of this promise: For you have said, My kindness is established forever; in heaven, you have confirmed your faithfulness. Christians will later read the story of David and the ark of the covenant as a promise of a future Messiah sent to bring salvation to Israel.
That promise is fulfilled, of course, in the person of Jesus, born of a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. Mary surely knew of the Lord’s promise to her people; when the angel Gabriel tells her in Luke’s Gospel that she will conceive in her womb and bear a son, Mary simply tries to figure out how she will fit into God’s promise: How can this be? she asks. Once the angel has reassured her, however, Mary says yes: May it be done unto me according to your word. Mary does not choose to be the mother of the Most High; God chooses her, sending the Holy Spirit to come upon her. But Mary says yes!
Like David, like Mary, we need to accept and recognize the action of the Spirit within us; this is the focus of the Advent season. As Paul tells the Romans, the revelation of the mystery is now manifested and made known to all nations. God is there in their midst, in other words; the gospel is the fulfillment of the promise made to David and effected after Mary’s yes. God’s plan has been fulfilled as God intended, and the good news has been proclaimed to all peoples. We too have a role in revealing God’s infinite love to our world. Will we say yes? How will we allow the Lord to work through us, today and every day? How will we make his love manifest in our world?
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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