In Brennen Manning’s book Abba’s Child, he tells the story of Mike Yaconelli, the cofounder of Youth Specialties who in a time of feeling dejected and demoralized went with his wife to L’Arche (the Ark) community in Toronto, Canada to make a five-day retreat. “He went hoping to draw inspiration from the mentally and physically handicapped people who lived there or find solace in the presence and preaching of Henri Nouwen. Instead, he found his true self.”

Here is Yaconelli’s story as he tells it.

“It took only a few hours of silence before I began to hear my soul speaking. It only took being alone for a short period of time for me to discover I wasn’t alone. God had been trying to shout over the noisiness of my life, and I couldn’t hear Him. But in the stillness and solitude, His whispers shouted from my soul, ‘Michael I am here. I have been calling you, but you haven’t been listening. Can you hear me, Michael? I love you. I have always loved you. And I have been waiting for you to hear me say that to you. But you have been so busy trying to prove to yourself that you are loved….that you have not heard me.’

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. ”Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:10-14)

As we move forward with the final reflection of Tidings of Comfort and Joy, we wholeheartedly celebrate Emmanuel! God is with us! Thank you, Jesus, for coming to us as an infant to show us how to live well with you.

The angelic visits explored so far have been to proclaim the coming Savior; this week, we see the Lord send an angel to the shepherds to declare that the birth of Jesus has come to pass in Bethlehem. With the angel's proclamation, it is time for the world to hear the glad tidings of the promised Messiah. The Lord chooses the shepherds tending sheep to receive the first invitation to seek and find the newborn King.

Joseph’s Narration of God’s Creation

God’s love for the world
was shown in his creation
when His Spirit swirled in formation.

The Word made flesh
which joined them too,
as life came to be made brand new.

Light and sky, land and sea,
illuminating landscapes for all to see.
Plants and trees with beauty appease,
sun, moon, and stars appeared with ease.

Creatures swarmed in the sea,
birds flew high above the trees,
Animals emerged in the distance
as humankind came into existence.

They were image bearers,
the crown of creation
forged to be the Lord’s heart wearers.

Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds…They will celebrate and sing about your matchless mercy and your power to save. You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. (Psalm 145:4,7-9)

The image of God we carry influences how we live in times of joy, contentment, and suffering. If we uphold a compassionate and merciful understanding of the Lord, we will more naturally be able to draw closer to His love and presence. On the other hand, a distorted image of God can just as noticeably have us living in fear and anxiety, keeping us disconnected from experiencing comfort and protection in our relationship with God.

Last week, I wrote about Gelassenheit, a mutual yieldedness between us and God. In the Human/With God relationship, there seems to be a pattern that we can take comfort in. The Lord initiates an invitation to us; we have the choice to respond. Then, based on our response, the Lord chooses to bless us or offer us mercy to extend the invitation of His generous love. (Howard, p. 222-223)

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

“The angel said to her, “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.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26-38)

As the story unfolds in the scriptures above, I am most aware of the dance between Mary and Gabriel. There is something delightful for us to behold in this encounter. In this reflection, we will begin to unwrap in our own lives the treasure of self-surrender for the sake of God and others.

I have experienced sweet joy in pondering the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Mary showcases both the simplicity and complexity of our call as image-bearers of God. Mary, in this transcendent moment with Gabriel, was able to see, hear, and know that the Lord was with her. How do we yield our anxiety and fears to the Lord while trusting with complete confidence that the Lord goes before us to prepare, protect, and comfort us in each of our calls to bring Christ into the world?

The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur… After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people." Luke 1:19-20, 24-25

Have you ever wondered why Zechariah, a righteous man living blamelessly before the Lord, found himself mute after asking just one question to Gabriel, who was bringing him good news?

The story in Luke 1:5-25 gives the details before and after the visit from the angel Gabriel. One of the first things we learn is that Zechariah and Elizabeth were living righteously and blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. They had no children, and because they were getting older, their hope for children had passed.

In Jewish history, it was believed that children were a sign of blessing from the Lord, and therefore, not being able to conceive would have been seen as a punishment or curse from the Lord. Culturally, barrenness was associated with a hidden sin or wrongdoing, creating reproach and disgrace from the larger community. Elizabeth would have suffered deep pain and shame as a consequence of being barren.