The Feast of the Annunciation

NRS John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

And because of Mary’s word, Mary’s yes,

14 the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

I sometimes envision all of Salvation history, all of the Old Testament, all of it’s people, pointing towards, funneling downward towards the Christ event: the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. But none of this would have happened without the obedience of a young girl, a girl who said yes, be it done unto me according to thy word. That was the moment in time that all of God’s work was pointing at. The one moment when Mary said yes, and God took off his divinity. When Mary said yes, the Holy Spirit moved over her, in much the same way as when the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters in Genesis.

The Spirit moved, and God became a human embryo, confined in the darkness of his mother’s womb for 9 months, growing and then being born in the usual manner of human beings. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. And the world would never be the same. God became man. Divinity and humanity merged into one person, Jesus Christ,

who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:6-8).

This was God’s plan from the beginning. It wasn’t plan B—it was the only plan, the plan for salvation. The plan to bring us into relationship with him. The plan where God has done everything for us, and all we have to do is say the word—yes.