The messenger greeted her warmly.  How could this be?  Who was she to be blessed among women?  She was of no importance.  It must be a mistake.

Still she listened.  The promise was strange: she was to give birth by the power of the spirit.  The child would come from the line of David.  But this boy’s reign will not end.

The words moved into shadows she could not grasp.  Alone, she would be afraid.  But within the shadows was a presence that calmed her.  God knew her name.  Her aging cousin was with child at last.  The story unfolding already brought joy.  She turned to the messenger with trust.

We thought God wanted the extreme.  Sacrifice every kind of creature.  Build a tower to  the skies.  Establish a nation to stretch from sea to sea.  Wage war to end all wars.  Endure suffering without complaint.  Erect a magnificent cathedral.  Pass every test inflicted upon us.  Accept humiliation.  In the end, greatness and power were to win salvation.

We didn’t find you in the defeat of our enemies.  Where are you found?  Send a sign to show we aren’t alone.

You beg us to listen.  Past the hum of daily tasks.  Past the chatter in the halls.  We peer into the shadows.  Our name is spoken.  We are known.  You are with us.  Goodness is already present.  The hands that were closed slowly open.