Holy is His Name

I was struck recently by the comment of a visiting worker. She was describing the peace of sitting in the large church of the Annunciation in the center of Nazareth. As she reflected in that space, she was aware that this was the geographical area where Mary responded to God with the words, "May it be to me as you will." For Mary this would have meant living with great shame in a shame/honor based society. As a woman, God's offer could have meant a lifetime of loneliness, family dishonor, and even death.

This reflection was unexpectedly powerful to me as well, not only because Philip and I have chosen to live ordinary days of our lives in the place where this real story took place, but also because recently we have been sharing long conversations about what next year looks like, what the next years may look like. Probably our willingness to say these words of Mary's would not produce the same amount of danger and shame that they could have meant to Mary, but none of us can see the future, maybe they would.

Increasingly, I realize that I carry a deep peace about one thing in this year in Israel: I am convinced that the faithfulness Philip and I show this year has a lasting impact, and that is enough. I am amazed at the amount of peace I carry as I say this. I do not feel lofty goals, fame, and prestige are necessary. By the grace of God, I see what a potentially worthwhile blessing is incorporated in our faithfulness in living daily here. Like Mary, I am sure I do not know the extent of the blessing or the cost but I am already blessed by accepting the challenge. Mary's trust in God became a faithfulness that revealed itself in her role as a mother, a wife, a woman, and a believer. Our roles as husband and wife, as ambassadors for God's Kingdom, as friends, as listeners, as worshipers, as workers all provide experiences to observe faithfulness, God's and (shockingly!) our own. As God has grace on me, I am able to observe his light shining through windows in me that I didn't know existed.

Mary sings, "...from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Luke 1.48-49). To be faithful in our daily tasks and daily relationships is enough. I see the full circle of God, for the holiness of His name, doing mighty things through my little things (faithfulness is might we cannot achieve on our own) in order to produce from our lives the exclamation, "Holy is his name!" in order that people we will never hear about will also hear the exclamation and call it out for years and years of God's faithfulness to humans.

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