“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’” 

Luke 1:38

This is one of those verses that overwhelms me every time I read it. The importance of Mary’s response requires me to stop and examine, again, myself and my response to God. It seems so simple a reply. “Okay God, let it be.” Its simplicity belies the deep waters running beneath the words. Mary’s commitment is a profound act of childlike faith. Mary does, apparently without hesitation, what few independently minded, red-blooded Americans would do. She submits. Submission has almost become a bad word in the American way of thinking. But Biblical submission should not be something to be avoided. Biblical submission simply means to willingly place one’s resources and responsibilities under the leadership of another. In this case, Mary willingly places her body and circumstances under the leadership of God. As already mentioned, she expresses what Jesus calls for when He asserts that unless you come like a child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. It is an act of the will without reservation. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Where have we seen this before in the annals of Scripture?  Moses? I don’t think so. He had lots of questions. Jacob? Not him. He didn’t wait on God; he stole the birth right. Jonah? Nope. He literally ran the other way. Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth, the other person in this story who received the details directly from the angel? He comes pretty close. But for a true picture of total surrender, Mary may be the only one. Her words are spiritually sobering, “May it be to me as you have said.”

Now, look down the road just about 33 years and see what the man, Jesus, did. The baby born to Mary became the man who died on a cross and rose from the grave. His resurrection is an invitation to each one of us to believe. It is an invitation to look to Him and find rest, an invitation to accept the sure hope of salvation from our sins.  Jesus declared that He is … the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].²¹ Paul said in Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. In a sense, therefore, we have the opportunity to say to Him, like Mary, May it be to me as you have said. It really is that simple to place your trust in Jesus.

The preparations and decorations, the gifts and parties, the programs and presentations of this Christmas can be an exhausting distraction, but all that December brings can also become joy-filled reminders of the ultimate gift that is Jesus in His death and resurrection. Christmas is almost here. Renew your efforts to keep it profoundly simple. Like Mary, say to Jesus today, May it be to me as you have said. Willingly let Him order your day and every day in December and into eternity.
 

Jay W. Hill