Wednesday, March 25, 2020
The Rev. Anne Williamson
The Collect for the Feast of the Annunciation
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Reading
The Song of Mary, Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Reflection
‘Pour your grace into our hearts O Lord...’
A daily dose of grace is welcome in this moment! For me, it is a grace that today is the 25th day of March and in nine months it will be Christmas Day, and I hope and pray we will gather at St. John’s, and Christians will gather around the world, to celebrate the birth of Jesus on that day. Today, though, we remember the encounter of a young girl named Mary with an angelic visitor in which she said yes to God; yes to a call to motherhood of a special child: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:35-37 The song known as the ‘Magnificat’ is her response, her response to the seemingly impossible touching her life, and ultimately changing the world.
Today I offer you a visual option for reflection, two depictions of the Annunciation that I love, for different reasons; they touch very different emotions in me. You may have your own favorite icon or picture of Mary’s angelic encounter. Take a moment to reflect on the icon or picture; what feelings, emotions, and/or connections are sparked? I wonder for each of us, in this moment, what God might be inviting us to say yes to, that we might birth the knowledge of God’s Love into our troubled world, which so needs that gift.
The Annunciation
Andrei Rublev, 1405
Annunciation
John Collier 2000