The Power of "With"

 

Based on Luke 1:26-38

            There is a lot to be amazed about in the story of the annunciation. As Gabriel appears before Mary and greets her, Mary is puzzled. She is puzzled over what the angel said, not that an angel was talking to her. If an angel appeared before me and started talking to me, I might find that in itself puzzling. For Mary, it seems that this is not the first time she has had a conversation with an angel. Amazing. It is amazing that it is Mary, a young virgin living in the little town of Nazareth that is approached by Gabriel rather than someone with more status and clout. She is just an ordinary young woman in an ordinary town. Yet, the archangel Gabriel comes to her to give her a message direct from God. Amazing.

            What I invite us to focus on is the first and last thing that Gabriel says to Mary. In particular, there is a word that Gabriel says that is a critical word. It is a word that reveals something about God: about how God acts in the world, about how God’s plan of salvation unfolds, about how God relates to Mary and to us.

            The first thing that Gabriel says to Mary is, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” The last statement that Gabriel makes before departing is, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” The word with is an important word. If Gabriel used a different word than “with”, this would have given a different meaning to the message.

            What if Gabriel said this: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is for you.” And at the end, “Nothing will be impossible for God.” Can you tell the difference? By saying to Mary “the Lord is for you” is to mean something like God believes in you, supports you, is on your side. It is a vote of confidence in your abilities, what you are able to accomplish. In the same way, if Gabriel said “nothing will be impossible for God” this is a claim that God can do anything. Nothing is impossible for God to do. In either case, by using that word for implies that Mary and God are capable on their own to get things done. God supports Mary in whatever she wants to do. There is nothing that God can’t do.

            But Gabriel didn’t use the word “for.” Gabriel said to Mary “the Lord is with you.” Gabriel said, “nothing will be impossible with God.” That word “with” implies relationship. To say to Mary the Lord is with her is to say that God is her companion, by her side, in her corner. To say that nothing will be impossible with God is different than saying nothing will be impossible for God. To say nothing will be impossible with God is to make the claim that whatever you and God set out to do together, assuming it is God’s will since God would never do anything opposed to God’s will, whatever that is, even if the project or goal appears impossible, is not impossible because with God all things are possible. It reminds me of that passage in Philippians, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” While the word “for” implies support for someone or personal power and ability, the word “with” implies companionship and even partnership. This is an important understanding of who God is and how God relates to the world, to Mary, to us. If you wanted to boil down Gabriel’s message to Mary it is that God is coming alongside her and together something that seems impossible will happen. Mary, partnering with God, is going to advance God’s plan of salvation in an amazing way.

            A few years ago, I was at the State House participating in a protest over the continued killing of unarmed black men by the police. A number of speakers came forward one at a time to say what they wanted to say. After the speakers on the program had finished, one of the leaders came up to the mic and invited anyone else who wished to come forward and say what they need to say. But there was one rule. No one was to come up to the mic alone. They had to bring at least one person with them to stand by their side. She said, “No one is to stand up here alone.” I had never heard something like that before. It was a powerful symbol of how crying out for justice is not meant to be done solo. It is meant to be done together, people standing with each other, in that pursuit of justice.

            Who is your circle of friends? I remember doing this exercise once where we were asked to take out a piece of paper and draw a small rectangle in the center of the page with enough space where you could write no more than three names. We were then to write in that rectangle the names of those who we can turn to when we need support. It was an exercise that forced us to think about who were those few people who were in our closest circle, who are the ones we trust, respect, and love. Who are those few people who are in your inner circle? These are the ones who are not just for you, but are with you. No matter what is happening in your life, no matter the struggle, in good times and bad, these are the ones who will stand with you, no matter what. I do hope you have that small circle of friends who walk with you through life. That small circle of friends can be a lifeline sometimes. This is the power of “with.”

            And so, here is Mary being told by Gabriel that God is with her. God has come alongside her. This may explain why Mary was puzzled by these words, and maybe even a little scared. She may have thought to herself, “What does God want to do with me?” See, if God was with her, that may mean God has something for her to do. She knew the stories. She knew of God coming alongside Abraham and Sarah, Moses, David, and others. God was up to something, and of all people, God decided to come alongside her. What could that be? What is God up to and what is God going to be asking of me? I bet that’s part of what Mary was puzzling about.

            This can be a bit scary. Perhaps you have had that experience where you sensed God’s presence and began to get an inkling that God has something for you to do, a vision or a calling that God wants you to give yourself to. Or someone in your life has said something like, “God is with you and has plans for your life.” Who, me? What plans? This can stir up some puzzlement, some anxiety, even a little fear. What does this mean?

            Thankfully for Mary, Gabriel is fairly explicit about what God has for her to do. For those of us who have received the message that God has plans for us, they aren’t always clear at the beginning. Mary gets a pretty clear description. She is going to give birth to a son. She is to name him Jesus. That’s it in a nutshell. Mary responds with the question, “How can this be?” This is not a question of doubt. She takes what the angel is saying seriously. She accepts this is the assignment that God has for her. Her question is about logistics. She is a virgin and engaged to be married to Joseph. How is it that this baby she will give birth to will be called son of the most high instead of son of Joseph? She understands what she is supposed to do but unclear about how to do it. For any of us who have gotten a sense of what God wants us to do but with no provided plan from on high on how to accomplish it, we can relate to this question!

            That question Mary asks opens the door for Gabriel to speak of the Holy Spirit that will overshadow Mary. Ah, the mystery of the Spirit. I have discovered in my pursuit of living out God’s call on my life that it is often a mystery how this life I’m living will go. For those of us who sense an invitation from God to be engaged in the work that God is doing in the world, we need to be comfortable with ambiguity. There is a lot of mysterious Holy Spirit that overshadows partnering with God. That’s just the way it is, that the mystery of the Spirit makes things happen in amazing ways.

            After Gabriel explains that the Spirit will be active, will cause things to fall into place, will make the way where there seems to be no way, and then says that with God all things are possible, Mary exercises her agency. She first names out loud her dignity. I imagine with her head held high and her back straight, she says in the spirit of Isaiah who said, “Here am I, send me” Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” With that statement, she places herself in the ranks of Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. She says out loud that she is one whom God has chosen for an important task in God’s ongoing plan of salvation.

            Then after claiming her dignity as a servant of God, she says “Let it be with me according to your word.” In other words, Mary says “yes” to God’s invitation. This is perhaps one of the most critical moments in the unfolding of God’s purposes. Mary was not forced. She consented to what God was asking her to do. I love that. In fact, love is at the heart of all of this. Remember how Paul wrote that love does not insist on its own way. God is love. So, God would not force Mary to do anything that she would not consent to. Mary, whose love for God is on display, says yes to the One who has given her an incredible role to play in the salvation of the world.

            One of the big themes at Christmas is Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” This means so many things. It means we are never alone. It means that God is always in our corner. It means that God is in a relationship with us, a love relationship. It also means that each of us have parts to play in God’s unfolding plan of salvation. God has chosen to partner with us. Who, me? Yes, you. That can be scary. Not always, but there are times when what we sense God is inviting us to do calls for a big change in what we do in our lives, how we spend our time, what gets prioritized. Sometimes what we sense God calling us to do is radical, and we wonder if we are up to the challenge. Often when we sense that call we start asking questions of logistics: where will I find the time? What resources do I need? Where do I start? While we long for the divine blueprint to drop from heaven we are reminded that partnering with God requires trust in the mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit. And we are reminded that when we engage in pursuing the vision, the work that God has placed on our hearts and in our dreams, that with God nothing is impossible.

            God is with us, Emmanuel. God continues to extend to us an invitation to partner with God as God goes about the work of saving a world that needs saved. Today, we are reminded of the dignity, courage and trust of Mary. We can join Mary today and name our dignity as servants of God and to say with Mary, “Let it be with us according to Your word.”