What a special day this is. Frankly, I didn't know this first thing about this day until two years ago when this date fell on a Chapel service day at LR. Here we have a day celebrating Mary's willingness to serve the Lord. "Let it be done to me according to your word" she says to the Angel Gabriel. In so doing, she opens the door for redemption through Jesus Christ.
"Annunciation" comes from the latin, annunciare which means "to announce." It refers to Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin that God is with her and that she is highly favored among women. Protestants are often afraid of talking about Mary too much. This can be understandable in light of what tradition has made of her, however, consider her plight, or "blessing." Her blessing was one of profoundly unique obedience. In her was the redemption of mankind. In her was the doorway to the new covenant in Jesus. She was not herself our salvation, but she carried our salvation. We celebrate her special obedience to God's calling. We remember her today and venerate her willingness. We do so by being ourselves willing to follow God's calling. In her is our obedience and our selflessness through the power of the Holy Spirit. We look to her for inspiration to put off all doubt and embrace the mystery of true submission. Consider her mystery... virgin birth. We take this all to much for granted. We embrace the mystery of faith in the virgin birth and the deep calling to obedience in her willingness to be the "handmaiden of the Lord."
Set on saving the cosmos, he who set all things in order came down to it of his own volition. And, though being the Shepherd as God, for us he appeared like us as a man; and having called his own, like by like, as God he hears, alleluia. (From the Orthodox Salulation S)
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