Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:29-33)

Mary was troubled. Not at the angel’s appearance, but at his words. What a strange thing. The words Mary is responding to were part of our text yesterday. These words from the angel: “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you!” These are the words that made Mary greatly troubled.

But Mary’s reaction is strange, not just because these were actually quite nice words, but also because usually people are frightened by the sight of the angel, not the content of the angel’s speech. Most folks cannot hear what the angel has to say until after they are reassured about the angel’s frightening appearance. But not with Mary: there is an odd receptivity in her from the start. Her eyes are open and ready, and so are her ears. She is ready to hear and attend to the voice of God.

But she is not well prepared to be so unquestioningly received by God. This is what greatly troubles her. That she is favoured and that God is with her: that’s what gives her pause and sends her mind reeling.

I think many of us can relate. We are content to think of ourselves as naught more than lowly servants, certainly no one to be paid attention to. Some of us consider ourselves to be lowly, sinful worms: unworthy of God’s attention. Still others of us consider ourselves to be a bit on the outside. Rebels with a few questionable habits, activities, and places we hang out. Folks who like to have fun and not take life too seriously: certainly not of the pious, inner-circle sort.

What a shocking surprise then when an angel shows up at some random time in the middle of the week to say: “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you!” Can you imagine? What if he just popped in on you at work? At school? In the living room watching a movie? At the pub playing or listening to some live music?

And yet, those are exactly the sorts of words that God does speak to us at just the oddest of times. Through the work of Mary’s newly announced son, Jesus, we have now all become daughters and sons of God. So the Lord is with us. He does favour us highly: even loves us. Unconditionally. Black sheep and white sheep, the shame-filled and the drifters: all of us he loves just the same.

Mary would have to be told a second time for it to sink in though. And if attentive Mary needed to hear it twice, then I’m sure we do too. Maybe three times even. “Do not be afraid; you have found favor with God.”

I don’t know if you noticed it, but all the saving promises of Jesus have already begun slowly seeping into the story. “The Lord is with you” the angel says. Why, in these words Mary has already receive the promise of Immanuel, “God with us.” And finding favour with God—in these words, Mary has already received the promised chosen-ness soon to be realized for us all in Jesus’ work.

Slowly the good news of the gospel has begun seeping into the story: not just in future promises, but also in Mary’s lived reality. I hope this good news also interrupts you today and begins seeping into your story in just that way: in the midst of whatever you’re doing, as you hear and know that these words are also for you. “You who are highly favoured—the Lord is with you!”