Create a clearing/ in the dense forest/ of your life/ and wait there
patiently/ until the song/ that is yours alone to sing
falls into your open cupped hands/ and you recognise and greet it.
Clearing, Martha Postlethwaite
Annunciation, Julia Stankova Used with the artist’s permission
The Other Annunciation
For most of us, The Annunciation is Mary’s story which, strictly speaking isn’t entirely accurate since the Angel of the Lord had already shown up in Zechariah’s life a good six months earlier. There wasn’t much said about it at the time of course, on account of Zechariah being rendered mute because he didn’t believe Gabriel’s words.
For Zechariah, the annunciation happened one day when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty. When Zechariah saw the angel of the Lord he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” Luke 1:8-20 [abridged]
God’s response makes for uncomfortable reading. And the discomfort only deepens when six months on, we see Mary questioning Gabriel in much the same way, and being blessed.
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” Luke 1:34-35
QUESTIONS
What feelings and / or sensations does God’s response to Zechariah evoke in me?
Sitting with this, where am I being invited to notice something not noticed before?
When I seek ‘to know’ how might the silence of ‘not knowing’ deepen the mystery?
Lynn Darke