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After the Angel Leaves
by
Phil Ware
This child, this
Jesus, will not just be any child, but will be "the Son of the Most
High."
He will reign "on
the throne of his father David" and "over Jacob's descendants
forever" for "his kingdom will never end."
Mary is astonished because there is one
"little" problem: she is a virgin, from Galilee, pledged in marriage
to a man named Joseph.
Things like this — angels, Messiah-sons, and
kingly royalty — don't happen to people like her, a poor girl from nowhere
Nazareth betrothed to a lowly carpenter!
Gabriel explains that this will be the work
of the Holy Spirit and that Mary's little boy will actually be the Son of God!
By some miracle of
faith and surrender to the will of God, Mary believes and accepts God's plan: "I
am the Lord's servant ... May your word to me be fulfilled."
This amazing
intersection of heaven's glory and humble humanity ends with these five simple
words: "Then the angel left her."
Mary's life will never be the same. Mary can
anticipate some of the scandal, difficulty, and shame that her surrender to the
way of God will bring her.
But "life after the angel leaves"
will bring Mary challenges that she cannot foresee, pain she can barely endure,
and joy that is unequalled in human history.
This is always the
way things are in "life after the angel leaves"!
You've been there,
haven't you? Sure, not on the scale of Mary, but you've had your taste of life
before and "after the angel leaves"?
Life is fresh, new, exciting as the journey
begins on a new adventure — an adventure you feel called to follow if you are
to honor God.
It's the thrill of beginning and the excitement
of something new, something fresh, something even a bit dangerous.
But then the new wears off, the shine is
gone, the new-car smell is replaced with dents, stains, and some foul odor you
can't quite pinpoint.
This "life after the angel
leaves"!
The angel appears several more times in
Mary's story.
The angel appears again because Mary has to
explain the inexplicable and to assure Joseph that God can do the impossible
even in the womb of his virgin wife-of-betrothal* (Matthew 1:18-25).
Another time many angels appear to shepherds
to announce the birth of her son (Luke 2:1-21).
The angel shows up once again to help protect
Mary's child, Jesus (Matthew
2:13-18).
An angel even comes and ministers to Mary's
son when Jesus is facing the anguish of the upcoming cross (Luke 22:44).
Yet in each of these appearances of angels,
we are never told that Mary saw the angel again — he was there along with other
angels working to fulfill God's promise, he just was not visible to Mary.
So, there is a ring
of finality in the words, "Then the angel left her."
Like us, Mary would treasure the memory of
that great beginning, that holy moment, but life would move from that spot and
unfold with hope and horror, tenderness and trauma, as well as goodness and
grief.
Mary may not have
always understood what Jesus was doing or why God's will would ultimately lead
to a cross, but she would hold on to her original words with faithfulness, "I
am the Lord's servant ... May your word to me be fulfilled."
And she serves as an example to all of us who
find the going tough when the bloom is off the rose and the luster has lost its
shine on those first, exciting, joyous, commitments to Jesus.
Like Mary, we live
most of our lives "after the angel leaves."
What we do in those challenging moments,
confusing dilemmas, long nights of the soul, and dark passages of unspeakable
grief will determine whether Jesus lives in our hearts as the
crucified-yet-resurrected Savior, or if he becomes a confusing disappointment and
we give up our commitment to follow out of disinterest, frustration, or
disappointment.
So I'm encouraging us — you and me — to hang
on during those times just like Mary did.
Faith, real faith like Mary shows us, is not
for sissies. It is not for those looking for a guarantee of riches or quick
escape from the pain and challenges of this life.
The Lord's blessing can sometimes feel like a
burden, but when we hold on to that first commitment to be the Lord's servant,
the dawning day of resurrection and grace will come.
We will share in
Jesus' victory and walk with him in joyous fellowship, and realize that the
angel was right when he said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The Lord is with you."
Faith, real faith like Mary shows us, is not
for sissies.
Such joy is ours in
life, even "after the angel leaves."
Special
Note:
Window
to Wonder is a four-message series on Mary the mother of Jesus. This is the
first in the series. In future weeks, look for links to images and art work,
audio message, other posts related to this series, and the other three messages
Footnotes:
*
Betrothal in Joseph and Mary's time was far more than engagement in our world
today. It was a legally binding agreement that could only be broken by divorce
and producing a scandal because of infidelity by one of the partners, something
punishable by death. For an example of this kind of thing, read John 8:1-11).
Phil
Ware
has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com,
read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry
Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president
of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God's
Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and a YearwithJesus.com.
Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
(Visit the
Author's Website)
Heartlight Provides Positive
Resources for Daily Christian Living.
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