Advent Reading: Luke 1:26-38.

I imagine Mary’s day began with her usual chores. I like to think she hummed a little while she worked, secure in her youth and her betrothal to Joseph.

I wonder if she felt the winds shift before she heard Gabriel’s booming voice and shocking announcement (Luke 1:28-37)? The magnitude of Gabriel’s news would terrify anyone, so it’s extraordinary that Mary simply asks, “How?” (1:34).

Gabriel explains the “how” as the marvelous cooperation of the Trinity in the womb of a favored but otherwise ordinary young woman. He also provides a sign for Mary in the pregnancy of Elizabeth, “For nothing is impossible with God.” (1:37).

Mary is young, but her response to Gabriel reveals a mature trust in the Lord. She agrees with the plan, saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (1:38).

In response to Gabriel’s announcement and in her song of praise (1:48), Mary calls herself the Lord’s servant: a person who worships and submits to God. Despite the risks, Mary submitted her whole self to the Lord’s plans.

Mary’s response is remarkable, but she was a regular person, like you or me. Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls ordinary humans to participate in His extraordinary plans. Mary did not need to become divine for God to work through her. She only needed to trust the impossible “how” and say “yes” to the Lord.

As we go about our usual chores this season, I imagine there will be a moment when God asks us to trust Him with an impossible “how.” May our answer always be “yes.”

© 2025 Lori Myers Berry