Presented at West Boylston (MA) UCC Church, December 18, 2011.
Readings:
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
I’ve been considering Mary’s question in this morning’s reading from Luke. Gabriel tells Mary that she will soon have a child, a son; that he’ll be a great King, and that he will sit on the throne of his ancestor, David. Mary then asks “How can this be?”
As Christians, this is a question we often ask ourselves, or perhaps others ask of us: How can this be? A lot is wrapped up in that simple little question: How can a baby be born of a virgin? Why is God doing this? Why does it matter?
I begin by asking myself “what was Mary thinking when she asked this?” I’m not so sure the common assumption, that she’s wondering how a virgin can give birth, is what she is so perplexed about.
The Here and the Hereafter 