In the final week of our Advent, so close to Christmas, we hear how Mary said yes to God’s plan. We also hear how King David muses about how he has a plan for God… “Since I’ve been so successful, maybe I should build a house for you.” To which God replies “You build a house for me! Not so fast…” (or words to that effect).
We know God refused to let David build a temple and gave that task to his son, Solomon. But the house God was really looking forward to was the one Mary provided – her body. And Mary said, after a little clarification, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
These are of course wonderful words, but I wonder if we risk misinterpreting them sometimes. They have often been seen as the ultimate act of submission, and indeed they were. But submitting to God does not mean being passive and submissive (look at King David!). I fear we sometimes overlay our own opinion of the “correct” role of women in viewing this scene with Mary – she was the perfect woman, she submitted to the will of God. But Mary didn’t just say yes, she also noted that she was the handmaid of the Lord.
We don’t tend to have a lot of handmaids around these days, so it’s not surprising we aren’t so clear on what that might mean. Yes, Mary is recognizing she is in the position of a servant, she will do as she is told, but she is the closest and most important servant, the one who is by her Lady or Master at all times and has a key role in helping them them perform their role.
So Mary isn’t some passive recipient of the power of God, she is an active partner with him. And just in case we need reminding, I can’t think of any more active role than giving birth – if anything counters the idea of being passive that must be it!
And as for Mary so for David. He may have been a King, but he was equally subservient to his Lord, and everything he did or accomplished was as a result of God’s actions, not his own – even if he did need reminding of that fact now and again.
Beyond that, for both Mary and David the most important thing God is doing is not in regard of them personally, but what follows on after them. David is told it’s not for him to build a house for God, it’s the other way round: “The Lord will establish a house for you… Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”
The reason that the kingdom can endure forever is that it isn’t David’s kingdom, it’s God’s kingdom. This is what the angel tells Mary: “Jesus [your soon to be son] will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
David, Mary have their role in establishing God’s kingdom. So do we. God is forever looking forward. We are not passive bystanders as God works out his plan, we are active participants, just as David and Mary were. Servants yes, but powerless, certainly not.