Waiting in Servitude

"And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." ~ Luke 1:38

We are people between two advents. People of the "already, but not yet." As we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ, we are also looking forward to the time Christ comes again. As we prepare to celebrate the invasion of the kingdom of heaven on earth, we anticipate the time when the kingdom will come to completion. In the meantime, we wait.

The waiting we participate in is not passive. The invitation is to join in as the kingdom of God advances. Like Mary, we wait in servitude. I love how she responds to Gabriel's message with a holy curiosity and humility. The message she receives has cosmic and personal consequences. Yes, she would be giving birth to the Messiah, the Savior of the World. But, the angel's message also puts her at risk. Although not consummated yet, the seriousness of her betrothal to Joseph would make her pregnancy adultery. An act punishable by death. However, she graciously receives the word and identifies herself as a hand-maiden — a servant.

The servanthood we participate in is unlike anything we are familiar with. We're not the downstairs staff at the beck and call of the upstairs aristocrats. We're not the laborers doing the things upper management doesn't want to do. Jesus models for us servanthood and shows us a life lived with God. In John 5:19, He tell us, "The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." The servanthood we participate in is working alongside the Master.

In this season, may we, like Mary, identify ourselves as a "servant of Lord." As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let's also get ready to be on the lookout for where God is at work and be willing to join Him in it. To celebrate the reality of Emmanuel, "God WITH Us." Waiting with anticipation for when He comes again.