The Annunciation and Grace
By Dr. Jim Watkins, Director of Distributed Education at Nashotah House
The following sermon was given on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) at Nashotah House in 2021.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:2).
As I was preparing for this sermon, I was drawn to Gabriel’s announcement. Not the event that the announcement is about, but the announcement itself.
As I pondered Gabriel’s words, my mind naturally wandered to the current practice of gender reveal parties. Gabriel’s announcement is, arguably, the most dramatic gender reveal party in history. From what I gather on social media (my kids were born before these were becoming really popular), there are three essential ingredients to any gender reveal. One: the element of surprise. Two: a gender must be revealed. Three: the revelation must be dramatic. On every point, the Annunciation is peerless. Let’s begin with the element of surprise. Mary and Joseph didn’t even know they were having a child. Second, a gender must be revealed. Well, Mary is told she is having a son, but she is told SO much more. This son is going to be the savior of the world. No pressure. Finally, the revelation must be dramatic. I’ve heard of cakes baked pink or blue, giant babies jumping out of boxes, and explosive devices. A visitation from a supernatural and incorporeal being robed in light and standing in the very presence of a holy God wins every time. By all accounts, there never has been, and there never will be a greater gender reveal party than Gabriel’s announcement to Mary.
That’s about as far as this analogy will take me, but I still want to focus on Gabriel’s announcement to Mary: the way he announces more than what he announces. And I want us to consider one aspect of his words: specifically, the announcement’s quality of grace. The whole situation that Luke describes in chapter 1 verses 26 to 38 has the quality of grace. I do not mean that his words are polite or kind. Gabriel’s announcement bears the quality of grace because the way he announces the birth of Christ is unasked for, unexpected, and unconditional.
At the beginning of Luke’s gospel, no one asks God for help. Think about all the stories about the people of Israel, or individuals, imploring God for help. God in his love and compassion hears the cries of his people and rescues them (Judges 13:1-5). Luke does not begin his narrative with a desperate cry, but rather with an angel who mysteriously shows up.
There is a double announcement going on here. First, Gabriel appears to Zechariah and then to Mary. On a first glance, we notice that there is no crisis. This is in marked contrast to some other angelic appearances in Scripture. For example, an angel appears to Samson’s mother, who like Elizabeth is barren, to tell her that she will have a child, but only after the author points out that Israel has been delivered into the hands of the Philistines.
No doubt Luke and his readers are aware of the darkness into which God shines his light, but Luke gives us no obvious reason why God decides to send Gabriel. He just seems to want to do it. Gabriel appears like a Tom Bombadil figure who offers himself to weary travellers in mystery and grace. We don’t really know why he is there, but we sure are glad. Or he arrives like a Winn-Dixie, from Kate DiCamillo’s novel Because of Winn-Dixie (2000), who rushes onto the scene and who leaves just as abruptly, but whose appearance radically changes the situation with what can only be described as the quality of grace.
Gabriel’s announcement is unasked for, it is also unexpected. No one is really prepared for what Gabriel had to say. It is true that, in one sense, God had been preparing to make this announcement for a very long time. The staggering claim that this child is the one who will reign on David’s throne forever only makes sense in the context of the history of God and His people. God had been making promises and preparing his people for centuries and it is all building towards this child.
And yet, Luke seems to want us to know people were taken by surprise. Consider Zechariah, for example. He is a Levite whom Luke describes as “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). He is actually in the Temple when Gabriel visits him. If anyone should have not been surprised, it was Zechariah. And Zechariah’s upbringing, life, knowledge, and position — none of it helped him grasp Gabriel’s message. And, of course, there is Mary herself. She is “greatly troubled” and she struggles to understand what Gabriel is telling her.
There is a painting by Robert Campin in the Cloisters Museum in New York City that perfectly captures the unexpectedness of Gabriel’s announcement. Campin lived in the Netherlands in the 15th century. His painting is a triptych. On the right, Joseph is working diligently in his workshop. A window on the wall behind Joseph opens up to a city square where people go about their business and life goes on. In the middle is Gabriel and Mary. Mary does not even look at the angel. She is engrossed in her book of hours, devoutly praying and reading scripture, unaware that an earth shattering announcement is about to be made. The only people who notice what is going on are on the left side, and they are Campin’s patron and his wife. They, like us, understand with hindsight, but everyone else is caught by surprise as an angel interrupts their daily routine.
Robert Campin, Mérode Altarpiece (or Annunciation Triptych), date unknown, oil on oak, The Cloisters, New York City.
Gabriel’s words are unexpected because they are God’s words. The word of God is fresh and creative. The old ways of doing things: the old habits, customs and traditions are disrupted as Gabriel announces God doing a new thing. But Gabriel’s announcement itself participates in the newness of God’s redemption. Gabriel’s visit with Mary is a situation in which heaven is brought low and earth is raised up. Gabriel’s announcement itself, even before Jesus is born, begins God’s mission to get his hands dirty and throw some grace around.
Gabriel’s announcement is unasked for, unexpected and it is also unconditional. We are so used to announcements coming with a “catch.” Over the Christmas holiday, I saw an offer for a very discounted box of wine. Normally a value of $140, purchase a box of wine for only $40. I did the mental calculation and decided this was more or less what I would pay at the grocery store (I don’t buy the nice wines), and so why not. Well of course the process to sign up for this offer was very demanding. I had to give them all sorts of information about myself that I probably shouldn’t have, but in the end the wine showed up at my door. Then, to my great surprise they started charging me $40 per month! My monthly “gift” was going to wine growers in need because of the pandemic. It took me several months to realize this was even happening! Talk about a catch, and a sneaky one at that.
Gabriel's announcement is spoken in the spirit of a pure gift. Gabriel does not establish a contractual agreement, but a relationship between giver and receiver. In many translations, Gabriel says to Mary “Greetings, O favored one” (Luke 1:28). A more literal translation might render it “Greetings, you who have been graced.” You who have been gifted. There is no “catch” and he certainly is not sneaky about anything. In fact, he is remarkably transparent about what exactly will happen, even when Mary asks the question, “How can this be?” In this case, the medium fits the message because Gabriel’s announcement itself is a sheer gift.
We may struggle to see the graciousness of Gabriel’s words for two reasons. First, confronted with such an announcement, did Mary have the right to refuse? Did Mary consent to this? A blessing should not be confused with a curse. But this question asked this way and in the context of a culture that idolizes the autonomous self, is so foreign to Luke’s gospel and its primary aims. It says more about us, then it does about them. No doubt, there is a case to be made for Mary’s agency as she deliberates, interrogates, and proclaims what God has done. Mary’s trust in the Lord is robust, and not blind, and in stark contrast to Zechariah’s suspicion.
Second, we empathize with Mary as she contemplates the long nine months. Pregnancy is no joke. My wife courageously faced child-bearing four times, and I am in awe of her capacity to do this. The gift Gabriel offers includes a cost for Mary. Not only the risks and challenges that come with pregnancy and birth, but also the loss of social standing. And then as the child grows up, parenting comes with immense responsibilities. But God never offers us a cheap grace, always a costly grace. This is true for Mary, and it is also true for all followers of Christ who walk a path that leads straight to the cross, and then again through his grace, into Christ’s resurrection.
Gabriel’s announcement to Mary bears the quality of grace. His words come to her, though she does not ask for them. Gabriel’s message is surprising and points us to a new thing God is doing. Finally, Gabriel’s words are a gift with no strings attached, but they are costly to all who would receive them. God’s words are a gracious gift: unasked for, unexpected and unconditional.
May Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).
Dr. Jim Watkins is Director of Distributed Education / Affiliate Professor of Theological Aesthetics at Nashotah House. If you have any questions or would like further information about distance learning at Nashotah House, Dr. Watkins invites you to email him at jwatkins@nashotah.edu.