The Annunciation

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation, and we read about it in the Gospel according to Luke:

 

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 for ever, 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. (Lk. 1: 26-38).

 

“How can this be?” Our God is the God of the impossible; our God does great things! Like Mary, you and I are called to give a resounding “yes” to God even in the face of the impossible. 

 

Martin Luther, in his sermon on the Magnificat, preached:

 

“For He that is mighty hath done great things for me, and Holy is His Name.” (Lk. 1:49)

 

The “great things” are nothing less than that she became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed upon her as pass man's understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among whom she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in Heaven, and such a child. She herself is unable to find a name for this work, it is too exceedingly great; all she can do is break out in the fervent cry: “They are great things,” impossible to describe or define. Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God.

 

No one can say anything greater of her or to her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea. It needs to be pondered in the heart, what it means to be the Mother of God.  Luther’s Works, Vol. 21, p. 326, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan, Concordia Publishing House, 1956.

 

Let us pray: 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 unto the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Lenten Program, The Rule of Life, is at St. Augustine’s tonight starting at 6 PM.  Please remember to bring a soup or a salad for the meal.  The Rev. Dr. Mark Crawford will be our speaker.  Fr. Crawford was educated at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and Oxford University prior to his ordination.  Thereafter, he earned his Doctorate of Ministry at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is currently serving as the interim rector at St. Mark’s in Beaumont.

 

This Sunday is Palm Sunday.  We start at the cross outside.

 

Senior Health Lunches with hosted by the Rev. Dr. Helen Appelberg and UTMB at St. Augustine’s starting Tuesday, 14 April at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  Come and learn about health issues from trained medical professional speakers.  Spanish speakers are especially welcome since there will be someone from UTMB providing translations.  Please get the word out!

 

The Annual BBQ with Bigmista is right around the corner, 2 May.  Pitch in and help!

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those recovering from surgery.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550