ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE

December 5 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD

Luke 1: 26-28

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Luke 1:28

Many of you have probably heard or read this text several times. The angel

appears to Mary and greets her as “highly favored.” This is a strange greet-

ing given by the standards of her day since she would not fall into a category

of one typically considered favored. If you keep reading, even Mary wonders

what kind of greeting Gabriel brings.

I think that Gabriel’s choice of words is not an accident. The greeting indi-

cates being highly favored by God is not about status or economic means. It

is a greeting that lets us know God sees everyone. God saw Mary who, by the

world’s standards, did not fit how most would define someone highly favored.

If God sees Mary, then God sees us. Our hopes for the future are not wishful

thinking because God sees us. We must be cautious not to think that because

God sees us, our lives will be only wonderful. Just ask Mary!

The news that Gabriel shares later in the chapter about giving birth to Jesus

probably did not feel like she was highly favored. It likely felt like the very op-

posite, but she realizes she who is the most unexpected of all has a place in

God’s plan for the people.

I believe it is no accident that God chooses Mary. For me, it is indication that

hope is not just for those who have status and means, but for everyone.

Those who are trying to oppress others will often try to takeaway or diminish

hope. This text reminds us that we should remain hopeful because God does

see us. God highly favors those whom the world marginalizes or tries to make

invisible.

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